Yaz side effects

I'm pretty upset right now, because I've been given Yaz by the same doctor who KNEW I am struggling with a relatively recent bipolar diagnosis (with mania that manifests in rage). After a quick search I find that many other women find Yaz to instigate rage, when I'm already struggling to control it due to the bipolar!

AARGGGH.

Why can't I find good medical care anywhere I go? *tosses Yaz in the trash* (I was only taking it to lessen my body hair, which is excessive for a woman. I sleep with girls, so preggers is no problem for me.)

Hi YAZ taker, i have been on this drug for few weeks..and i have stopped YAZ because it was a miserable experience for me too :( i have constant..continuing abdominal and lower body in pain, feeling of nausea, moody, hot flush, vigina dryness and bleeding, body aching, feeling very tired and sleeply always..and lots more to go in my list..that was all caused by YAZ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THE WORST THIS AFTER ALL THIS SUFFERING, I GAIN NOTHING FROM YAZ ?????????????

I was on Yaz for 1 year and 1/2 . It really did it's job for the most part . I stopped having lower back pain, cramps, arm and leg pain and stopped my cravings which helped me loose 13 pounds it was a plus , my craving just take over when I pms ! Although my mood swings didn't improve that much at first they got really good and after a while they just got about the same as when I DIDN'T take YAZ . The only reason I stopped taking YAZ was because my sex drive went from awesome to NOT Interested !! Which was not cool with my hubby !
If my sex drive would have stayed the same I would have been able to stay on it for allot longer.
Oh and ladies the first 6 months of stating YAZ was a bit weird but it did get better.

Wow, this site is incredible. I am 41 and was contemplating going on YAZ for the migraines and to make my periods more manageable (migranes cramps heavy bleeding first day etc.) After reading these posts I AM NOT going to take YAZ. I tend to be very objective in my analysis and understand that there are pros and cons to everything....of course only those with problems are probably going to post them but at this point, what I have going on is managable compared to some of the potential issues caused by this drug. Perhaps I would be the exception, but I am not so sure I want to find that out. I don't need to take it for birth control reasons so I feel I may have better alternatives.
Thanks everyone for your information.

I have been on Yaz for three months and lately i've been having this weird skin sensation that feels like a cold burning and tingling all over and mild itching. I don't know if it's connected but from what I have read this is a 'possible' side effect along with about two hundred others. Has anyone else experienced this? It is a sensetivity to cold and het that feels like burning under the skin...
Thanks.

hi everyone i'm in Jamaica and my doctor just put me on the pill 2 weeks ago and its the worst i felt in my entire life. i am so tired, dizzy with nasty mood swings and depression. and all of this started a week ago am 22 and has nothing to be depress about.

I am 20yrs old. I took yaz for about a year and stopped spring 2009. It did amazing things for my skin and period, but it killed my sex drive and I gained 15lbs which is a lot considering i am 5'2 and a dancer. After the lack of sex drive started to affect my relationship, i decided to quit. After quitting yaz, i started to get cramps at random parts of my body. One day my leg will cramp up, the next day my arm and so on. I figured it had something to do with the difference in potassium levels in my body because the yaz commercials said something about potassium, and its not uncommon for athletes or anybody who is not getting enough potassium to cramp up. After maybe 2 months of this, the same thing continued happening, but now those areas that were cramping up were also welling up. I started taking potassium, but it has continued to get worse and worse and now im having chest pains. i've blown off going to the dr. because i am tired of paying money to be told to "take it easy." i saw a commercial on tv this morning about health problems caused by yaz, so i finally just made an appointment this morning.

i would not recommend yaz to anyone. my experience has been so awful. the problems caused by yaz have negatively affected my relationship, and interrupted my dance, exercise, and play time with the kids at work (daycare)

Deep depression, lack of appitite,

I've been on Yaz for over 2 years, and my daughter also.
We just started talking about how we both were having problems with our arms. Then we said what do we have in common? ANSWER YAZ. I have been going to doctor for extreme arm pain ,they gave me muscle relaxers, I can't function on them ,I've also been going for a heart problem, I've never had problems before , I went for a bunch of test. I know have cardiac arrhythmia(regular heart beat) and have developed mitral valve prolapse (heart muscule not working properly). I have always worn contacts (my daughter too) we are having trouble wearing them, doctor has been trying different types trying to help. Also as soon as I eat I get severe stomach cramps and diarehha. I am also winded going upstairs. I have been off yaz for 2weeks. I can't believe how much better I am feeling. I can use my arms,no shortness of breath,but I have had migraines.My heart has calm down ,still a little irregular and going to the bathroom is back to normal with no cramping.IF YOU ARE ON YAZ GET OFF NOW!!! It took about a year for my symptoms to show their ugly effects. PLEASE DON"T TAKE YAZ--their is other medications out there.

Thanks everyone for all this information on YAZ! Im currently on Depo Vera, and was thinking about switching to YAZ for my acne! I wouldnt get on Depo Vera either. I'm very moody, stressed over everything, and get angry easy! I've also had weird acne breakouts, the pimples are more swollen and bigger, and ive been breaking out in places i never broke out in before. I lost my libido all together, and have very bad vaginal dryness, I'm only 19! I have a fiance and having sex is like a nightmare,its that BAD! I also have alot of weight gain and bloating! but other than these side effects no head aches, and hardley any periods! but it seems to me no birth control at all is the BEST way to go!

Hello ladies:

First let me say that I am sorry to hear of your experiences with Yaz. I also wanted to tell you that you are not alone in experiencing these side effects.

There is a site called the "Yasmin Survivors Forum" (if you type it into your search engine it will come up) where women who have been on either Yasmin or Yaz and experienced terrible side effects come on and share their experiences, as well as offer advice and support for coming off of these pills.

The site is currently down, but we are eagerly working on getting it back up, so I urge you to re-visit until it has been fixed. I also urge you to do additional research to reassure yourselves that you are not alone- there are many lawsuits involved, and many other women who are experiencing the same or similar symptoms.

I hope to see all of you at the forum, and in the meantime I wish you all improved health and well-being.

Meagan

I to have been having constant headaches. Yesterday I contacted my OBGYN clinic. I had been hearing some horrid stories about the pill. I didn't know what to do, so I asked one of the ADNR's what I should do. She told me, if I have been having headaches and if it has been constant then I am to come in and change out pills. However, I wasn't to stop abruptly for that might lead to even worse side affects. But I can't stay on the pill any longer. I had been having problems with for quite awhile now. But the doctors didn't feel it was prudent for me to stop. I'm relatively young after all, and this was treatment for my irregularity, so the OB thought nothing of it at first. Now, after numerous tests on my eyes, synisis, and ears (with absolutely no results) I have no doubt it's the yaz. My family has a history with strokes, heart-attackes, major clotting, cancer, and tumors (benign and in the brain), so it scares me quite a bit. I just want it to stop. I'm already as paranoid about the other crap as it gets, since those are in my genes and aren't going away. I just hope Yaz isn't making it worse.

Well ladies, it's not suprising. Yaz is fairly new and an offshoot of Yazmin. Once they make an "improved" version of the old you know that there is some underlying problem that they were trying to fix and it sounds like they still haven't gotten it right. I don't know what was wrong with Ortho tricyclen. I never had a problem with it. After having another baby I got on Implanon which was a nightmare from you know what. I cried every day my hair fell out in clumps. So about 4 months ago I had it taken out and I told my DR that I wanted to just go on regular Birth Control pills. *It has been 8 years I can't remember Ortho Tricyclen after someone rips an implant out of my arm!* and when I got to the pharmacy the script was for Yaz. So, I just took it. Everything seems to be going fine, but I'm curious when did you all start side effects if not immediatly. I'm doing fine on them, or perhaps I think I am after the craziness with Implanon.

I have been seeing this girl for 15 months and about 3 months ago she decided to switch to Yaz because she had horrible pms. We have been friends for about 12 years prior and She is not her now. She is emotionally flat, nothing makes her smile, she is depressing to be around, she is ashamed of her body ( and she has gained a noticable amount of weight) absolute zero sex drive, memory loss ( has told me the same thing 5 times in the past 2weeks and swears she hasn't ) always sick (cramps, diarea, headache, stomach ache ect.) it's very similar to being strung out on perscription pills( she also takes anxiety medicine In the perscribed doses does not abuse) she says she now has a " whatever happens, happens" attitude because of yaz which she likes better than being over emotional, but the only thing that happens is getting off work eating dinner and going to sleep at 7:30 at night and waking up at 2 then 3 then 4 all night. After researching yaz she switched to her old bc, but is in the last week of finishing her current yaz cycle. For all the Yaz women out there thinking about changing, realize that your boyfriends and husbands that are standing by you are going through absolute torture to do so. I've been to the point of walking away more times than I can count now. I find myself promising to stick it out till the cycles over and she has time to re-adjust. She is a great girl and a wonderful person who now she has no passion, enjoyment, she's not happy, not sad, emotionally flat with the usual mood swings that were already there. It has however made her PMS better as the other 3 weeks a month have become a living nightmare, pms week seems way more tolerable in comparison. I hate Yaz and would love to meet the maker in a dark alley for an unfriendly conversation about his/her product. Women please stay off the Yaz/ get off the Yaz, it's BAD stuff and hurts the people who care about you long before you realize it hurts you. Look at the other posts, don't wait a year to find out the hard way, those closest to you will notice the change , while people you interact with won't until a year or so down the road after the damage is done. Stop now please

I'm 49 years old and the first year on Yaz was a Godsend....no more PMDD, I was happy, my skin was clear, periods basically stopped altogether, no more hot flashes & night sweats. It neither fixed nor contributed to my continued chronic fatigue. My prescription ran out prior to being able to get back into the Dr. for a refill, so I was off Yaz for about 4 months before renewing it, resulting in my old para-menopausal symptoms returning. When I went back on the Yaz, Holy Toledo!! My head's in a continuous fog, lightheaded, dizzy, borderline passing out on occassion, severe pressure as though it's going to pop, neck pain, occassional waves of nausia, can't sleep, can barely drive & work, I went from being absolutely healthy to feeling like I was about to stroke out. I went off the Yaz to see if it made a difference, and when it didn't immediately do so, Dr's began running MRI's & Cartoid Doppler tests looking for bloodflow problems to the brain. After 3 months of testing, my head began feeling better. Problem was, the mood swings, hot flashes & night sweats were out of control. I was a walking Hormonal train-wreck! So, 3 days ago (after a particularily bad emotional day) I took a Yaz pill. Now, 3 days in and 3 pills later, my head is right back to feeling like it's going to explode again and all the terrible symptoms are back. So, there's my answer. It WAS the Yaz. It's a sad tradeoff for emotional wellness, so I'm planning on running (not walking) to my Dr. for hormonal testing and alternative therapy.

I have been taking Yaz for about 3 years. I'm considering a change in birth control due to the following side effects: I have had recurrent yeast infections, decreased labido, heart palpitations, occassional chest heaviness, dizziness, and shortness of breath. I also have nausea for the first four days of the new pack I'm taking and have increased social anxiety. On the flipside, I have to mention the positive because there is a reason I haven't discontinued it yet. I have had no mood swings, which I did have before taking Yaz. I have been able to maintain a constant weight and do not have terrible acne anymore.

You just have to weigh the pro's and con's of the medication and decide which outweighs the other.

YAZ worked pretty well for my daughter for the first year. After that time, she developed huge fatty cysts in her breasts, which went up a full cup size after going on YAZ. After ruling out tumors by ultrassound, she continued on it. She complained of her heart feeling like it was skipping beats or racing sometimes, but I figured it was her Sudafed she was taking. After stopping Sudafed, they continued, and what followed was a nightmare!!!!! The school nurse called saying her left calf was swollen 4 cm, she had to take her jeans off at school. She had collapsed on the stairs at school a dozen times, because her legs were going numb. She also felt dizzy and felt like her heart was racing. After the hospital ruled out a blood clot, the swelling went down to 1 cm with 3 days of missed school and work on bedrest with her legs propped up. Her legs then began to ache, and be very sensitive. They would swell a little every now and then. We don't know why her heart raced, or why she felt like she was going to pass out alot. The hospital and doctors literally had no idea. Blood tests and ultrasound showed no Thrombosis blood clots, or high potassium. I wonder if she was having panic attacks because she knew something was very wrong with her body, and was scared. After doing lots of research, I decided to have her stop her YAZ, being that she was on no other meds. The doctors blew me off when I mentions that it could be the culprit. WOW!!!!! Is all I have to say. Withing 2 days of going off it, she is completely 100 percent. No symptoms at all!!!!! She went from at least 15 symptoms and being literally couchridden, to completely active and back to school and work, and hanging out with friends. She wasn't even driving when she had symptoms, because she was too dizzy. I at this point am doing my homework as to what bc for her to go on now, but am very cautious. What a pain in the ASS!!!!!

I choose to get on YAZ after I gave birth to my 2nd child. I have been on it for 5 months and I am unbearable to live with. My husband is miserable with me and says so because I have constant mood swings he literally said he doesnt know who I am anymore. We have been together for 5 years and after reading these messages on this site I realize that its the pill. I have mood swings, over emotional, depressed, anger easily, overreact, and my hands shake for no reason. I have zero sex drive which I was attributing to havnig had a baby but he's about to be a year old I would think i'd be ready for sex. I'm very unhappy with this pill and will never recommend it to anyone and would tell anyone on it to get off of it, i'm going back to my old pill orthotricyclen. Thanks for all of your postings.

I have been taking YAZ for a little over a year. At first I loved YAZ because my breasts went from a small B to a small D and my skin was beautiful. However, I started to pile weight on as the months went my. I've gained over 16 pounds on my 5' 2" frame. I have NEVER been this heavy in my life! I am bloated like crazy, have regular nausea and also have very brittle nails and am always thirsty-likely because YAZ has similar ingredients to spiranalactone used to treat high blood pressure. I have a belly for the first time in my life and have ZERO SEX DRIVE. Do not let your gyn tell you this pill does not affect your weight. It does!

I was on yaz for two years.my biggest side effect was no sex drive. I just went off it in december and still haven't gotten a period (I have been having protected sex) did anyone else have to wait a while for their period to come back after going off yaz??

I am a freshman in college. I took college classes in high school so it was no shock when i got into college on how classes would be. I was a cheerleader in high school i love people and was one of those girls that always smiled and loved life. I started taking YAZ my senior year for heavy periods, for the first few months it worked great, then i started have these dizzy spells insane migraines that would make me throw up and i started passing out. I never thought my birth control could be the cause of this. Eager to start college and meet new people I took summer classes so i could get adjusted early. I started passing out more often have HORRIBLE panic attacks and I would pass out when i had these panic attacks, i even passed out and feel down the stairs, today i passed out while driving and wreck my car. That is when my aunt and I started looking into YAZ and the side effects. I hate being around people now, I always want to sleep and I am an emotional mess. I have horrible mood swings, horrible head aches, and the panic attacks are the worse part. At first i though i was going crazy and no one could figure out what was wrong with me i have had every test run in the world. I finally mentioned to my gyno today that i am on YAZ and she immediately took me off of YAZ. It is so good to know that I am not the only one going through this. Another thing is i CAN"T sleep at night. No matter how hard i try i can't sleep. My boyfriend thinks i am crazy because i seriously don't need sleep. My appetite what changed also. I am not hungry and have lost weight. This is such a pain and i pray that no one else has to go through this. It is awful it has changed my life so much and it has made my family a nervous wreck. I advise anyone that is on this pill PLEASE get off of it or go talk to someone! It ruined my life, i was once a goal oriented young girl with all my dreams and goals ahead of me and now i am struggling to keep my life together!!! :( Please if u would like to talk to me or ask questions please do i would love to help anyone who is going through this. God Bless!

Wow, this site has described so many of my issues! It worked great for acne, but the anxiety/panic is awful and affects the way I interact with people. I also had the vaginal dryness problem that someone else described. I knew intuitively it was from the pill, but my OBGYN told me to stop using dryer sheets with my underwear and use a mild soap. I followed the advice, but of course that didn't work.

The most difficult thing for me is that it worked so well on my acne. I will have to give it up though. I was on it for 6 months last year, stopped for a few months, acne came back, then went back on it, and now I remember the horrible anxiety that accompanied this pill.

Does anyone have any recommendations for another pill that helps with acne and has fewer emotional side effects?

I have been on Yaz for 9 months and didn't really notice any side effects. About a month ago I had what could have been a panic attack, though I have never had one before in my life, shortness of breath and sudden pain in my chest. The last few months I have been super moody, even crying often, and didn't really connect it, I thought it was just stressed. But now I am thinking that I should go off it for a few months based on the other messages.

Wow...I stopped taking yes about 3 months ago after taking it for about 1 year. I too experience uncomfortable hot flashes, edgy, and uncontrollable mood swings and crying fits. It just progressed the longer I took. I was completely embarrassed and never mentioned it to anyone for the fear that something might be horribly wrong with me. I finally confided in my cousin and she, out of the blue asked what kind of contraception was I on. When I told her yaz she told me to stop taking it for a while and see if I notice a different and I do. I feel normal again. I still have the occasional mood swing due to my period but I no longer experience hot flashes, the edgy feeling, or crying fits. I’m glad I found this site; I knew I wasn’t the only one. I haven’t spoken to my Dr yet, but I will. Thank you all.

What a burden lifted!!!

Ladies, thank you so much for sharing your expeiences. Over the past 8 months (coincidentally the length of time I have been on Yaz) i have gone through some major life changes and have completely gone bonkers. Anxiety, depression, loss of self esteem, taking EVERYTHING to heart and over thinking. I really think I am on the crazy train! just today I was trying to self-diagnose what the hell is going on with me and I really feel so sad and hopeless that i will ever be "normal" again. Low and behold, so many of you are having the same experiences what a relief to know that Yaz is causing this. i am stopping immediately and calling my PCP to talk it over with her asap! Unlike many of you, Yaz has increased my libido which, unfortunately, outpaces that of my partner. As I don't need to mention I am sure, this can cause major relationship issues. I feel his loss of interstest has also been a major blow to my self esteem and I think its all me and he is not attracted to me and it spirals and I cry and can't handle it - this is not the "me" i know only the "me" i have become in the past 8 months. Now I realize what is making me so up and down and emotional - Yaz is causing these negative feelings, this anxiety. Wow, I am so glad to know there is a cause to all of this. The anxiety is so high, my loss of interest in everything. I have so much to be happy about and yet I only focus on negative things and am letting so much pass me by. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences!

I started taking yaz a year and a half ago, just before I started college, for acne and irregular periods. I also began another medication at the same time. A month after I started the yaz I got a HORRIBLE headache! That was just the beginning and I began getting headaches all of the time. It was horrible- and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I went off yaz for a month per the instruction of my OBGYN last spring but still got headaches. After going back on the yaz, I have been seeing a neurologist for migraines. I have had numerous blood tests and an MRI, but everything looks normal, except for low progestrone and B12, so I started taking b12 supplements and went back to the OBGYN about the hormones. She suggested that I go off the yaz for longer, it might take 3 months to get back to normal- I used to have tons of energy and felt great, but this last year and a half I have not been myself- I am starting to feel better after a couple off weeks off the yaz- but I will NEVER go back on YAZ- It has made me miserable!!!!!!!! Do NOT take this pill!!!! Constant migraines, vertigo, moodiness, depression

As the father of a teenage daughter in her 1st year in college, I couldn't figure out why this once happy, perfect weight girl went to the total opposite of having constant panic attacks, can't sleep though always tired, crying for no reason, and wanting to quit college. I thought it was being away from home and going to college, but after doing some research and reading all these other postings from females, I concur that YAZ is definitely the root cause of my daughter's downward emotional spiral. I have called her gyn dr, and am waiting for a call back. Meantime, I have told her to stop the pill and see what happens. If in the next two weeks of being off this pill her mental conditions improves back to normal, I will let this post know.

i took yaz for about 2 years. when i first started taking it i went emotionally psycho. after about 2 months i calmed down a bit thank god. however towards the end i noticed i had no drive to do anything. i just wanted to stay in bed all day. that is nothing like how i used to be. Yaz helped with cramps, and my ovarian cysts, however i felt sad every day, and had a serious anger issue. when my phone would ring i would get upset b.c it was to much work to talk to people! i have great friends and an amazing boyfriend, but i felt so unsatisfied with my life. i was very depressed. i began to have panic attacks regularly. i also started to get bad head aches when i went on yaz.
i've been off it for about 5 months now and i feel so much better! im happy again and i love spending time with people. i aso lost 10 lbs without changing my eating habits. however, my hair is falling out. my diet is healthy (lots of protein) and im not stressed out. my doctor says its because i went off Yaz. im starting to get really worried and have started taking biotin and natural hormones to help my hair growth. Yaz really affected me in a negative way. i wouldnt recommend it. i had 2 friends who also took it for about 1 year each and had very similar side effects.

I was on YAZ for a year and half. During the first year I didn't notice anything but my husband said I had no desire anymore. The only thing I noticed at that point was a terrible vaginal dryness issue. It was severe and I complained to GYNO about it. He said to use "replense".....well then my world fell apart. Not sure if I had allergic reaction or not but I was on FIRE....stopped using it and also a few months later as i wasn't getting any better decided to stop with the YAZ. I have seen GYNO many times and now have been diagonsed with a very painful "VULVODYNIA"...OMG.....my whole life has been ruined. I too sleep all day.... I have no desire to do normal daily activites. I do work but can't wait to get home to lay down again. I have lost all friends as I am so unbearable to be around and snap at everyone for no reason. Now I suffer daily with this diagnosis and I'm on daily meds plus my body aches as if I have fibromyelgia or arthritis. I have had blood work done and nothing abnormal shows up?????? Help !

Great to find this site!

I have endometriosis and had surgery in August to remove scar tissue and lesions. My doctor (who is wonderful) put me on Yaz after the surgery to help control the scar tissue and endometriosis growth post surgery. The side effects I experienced were horrible and effected my life negatively. I gained about 15 lbs in a month, without changing what I eat, I had horrible hot flashes where I was noticeably sweating and uncomfortable. I was very edgy with uncontrolable mood swings and crying fits. Oh and absolute ZERO sex drive. I stopped taking this medication almost two weeks ago and am starting to feel like my old self again. Please make sure that everyone who is having negative side effects is reporting the side effects to their doctor. I told my doctor about my side effects and he had never heard of anyone having hot flashes or sweating problems.

Thanks to everyone who is sharing their side effects and personal experiences.

I have been taking Yaz for the past 3 years. The doctor switched me to it because I have migraines every month close to time for my period. I get them other times too, but I can count on them around that time of the month. I am certain Yaz is not working for the headaches. Since I began taking Yaz I began experiencing severe stomach aches, and feeling dizzy and nauseous. I began contributing it to different foods, and avoiding them. However, now it seems it doesn't matter what I eat my stomach hurts. Recently I realized when I wasn't taking my pill my stomach felt better. I also figured out that about an hour after I take my pill is when I start to feel nauseous.

I am 41 I started taking YAZ over 2 years ago to control my bledding and I was getting bad headaches. It seemed to work but I have had weight gain hives tiredness low sex drive I cannot pinpoint if its Yaz but reading all your posts it might be. In the last 3 months I havd had constant bleeding not alot but enough to be annoying. I went to the gyno he did an ultrasound all was good. He switched me to Yazmin a stronger version of Yaz but at this point I am thinking of just stopping all together...Can you just stop mid month??? Does anyone know??? HELP getting nervous

I was on Yaz for a year to treat cramps and regulate. I noticed that I get irritated easily, and get depressed often. It made me stop taking it. It did help with cramps, but did not help with acne at all.

I just started Yaz about 2 weeks ago and 4 days ago my breasts were extremely tender and the pain has not gone away, I was just wondering if this was a normal occurrence and how long it typically lasts?

I have been on Yaz for about a year without noticing any significant side effect.However most recently,I have had GI problems.Starting with nausea,abdominal pain, and vomiting. My doctor thought I may have had an ulcer and had me undergo a endoscopy and colonscopy.I had the endoscopy which was negative and opted out of the other procedure.I also have experienced,panic attacks,mood swings,feelings of depression and stress.I really didn't attribute any of this to Yaz until looking up all the horror stories on the internet.What frightens me the most is the fact that my heart rate was becoming irregular.I started feeling my heart race from 100 bpm to 123 resting.Mt doctor wanted to send me to the cardiologist.I was also found to be anemic.Has anyone else experienced any of these problems?My sister keeps urging me to stop Yaz and I now going to stop.I am hoping my health starts to get better after stopping.I have been sick for three months now.

I'm a student reporter interested in talking to women about the way that birth control has affected their moods. If you'd like to talk, please send me an email at vr2183@columbia.edu. Thanks! -Victoria

I just started taking Yaz to control my endometriosis - have a 6 cm ovarian cyst that I am hoping to have reduced by the BC and to stop anymore growing. My experience has been awful and I have only been on it for 1.5 weeks. I took it on the first day of my period - happen to fall on Sunday. My period has not stopped since, never ending, normal and heavy. In addition I have the endo cramps every single day and feel nauseous. Before the pill my periods were regular, would last for 5 days, pain days were for day 2 and 3. Being on Yaz makes the condition unpredictable. I am debating whether to stop taking the pill NOW, or whether to switch to something else. I am already enrolling into Naturopathic health program to get to the root cause of endo - but wanted to stop the cyst from growing anymore as I desperately don't want to have to have surgery.

hey i just found this website and i was wondering if anyone could ease my mind a lilttle bit. I am 15 and i just went on yaz. i wanted to know how big of a chance i have of getting any SERIOUS side effects.

I am 15 and i needed someone to talk to. I just went on yaz and im kind of scared. I have heard about all the side effects of blood clots and possible death and i DONT want any of that. What is the cahnce of me getting any of those?

I have been taking it for 5 days only - after 21 days on Mycrogynon 30 (which made me feel tired but not as much as YAZ). I stopped yesterday, mainly because of EXTREME fatigue - hundred meters of walking made me tired; coul dfall asleep any, was (am) depressed and inactive.

Wow! I thank God I found this website! Thank you to everyone who has posted on here so far! I started Yaz about 2 months ago. So far I have experienced the same negative side effects as everyone else: MOOD SWINGS, BACK ACHES, IRRITABILITY, CRYING FOR NO REASON AT ALL, WEIGHT GAIN, BOOBS ARE SWOLLEN, DEPRESSION, ANGER... etc.
I want to also say that I got married a month ago.... and have had NO SEX DRIVE what-so-ever. It has been so sad.... my husband was starting to think I wasn't attracted to him at all anymore. This is the time when we're supposed to be having sex ALL the time.
After reading this msg board, I have decided to quit Yaz tonight and call my OBGYN in the A.M.
I agree with a lot of the other women... it is so scary to hear that so many women are suffering from side effects that can possibly cause them serious harm! Why on earth would our doctors still prescribe this medication when there are so many other options available to us out there?

I have had controlled asthma for about 12 years and since I went on Yaz two years ago it has gotten progressively worse. I have always been active and love to run but yesterday I was at the gym and could barely handle the treadmill for ten minutes. I have been seeing the commercials about the lawsuits for yaz and Yasmin and decided to look up if it had any connection with asthma. I found numerous posts from people like me. I feel stupid for not realizing sooner what this was doing to my body. I threw away all of my yaz today and am going to go to my doctor this week and find something new.

I AM SO HAPPY I FOUND THIS SITE! My name is Robin and I'm 23. I've been on several different types of birth control and Yaz is my latest RX. Though I've always had some minor side effects w/ bc, NOTHING compares to the side effects I've had from YAZ! These past few months have been hell, and I've constantly felt like a hypochondriac (sp) because of all my issues---I've only recently realized that all of my issues have been because of YAZ!

My breasts are so sensitive and sore right now that I'm wearing a sports bra to minimize all movement. I can't even wash my breasts in the shower because of the extreme stinging and painful "electric shock" sensations I get from touching them. I have major hot flashes. I have zero sex drive and can't even lubricate during sex. I feel nauseous all day long and the sites and smells of certain things make me gag. My chest is broken out into an acne-like rash. I have severe sharp pains in my abdomen and ovaries, as well as severe bloating and diarrhea. Every month I think I'm pregnant because of all of these symptoms and they are causing me such unnecessary stress. I just feel like crap all day every day and it's affecting my love life. My boyfriend is tired of hearing me complain about everything and I'm tired of feeling like a hopeless crazy person. I AM GETTING OFF YAZ ASAP AND I ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU TO DO THE SAME!

Hi everyone,

My name is Sarah and I was about 22 or 23 when I first started taking Yaz. I was on Ortho Evra (patch) up until then which was amazing as I never had a problem and considering my shorty memory, it was great because I didn't have to remember to take something every day. I went to the dermatologist for acne, which I have suffered with ever since I can remember (and still do to this day, and I just turned 25). The doc suggested Yaz and I figured why the hell not cause I'm a healthy person and I figured BC is BC...right? I just went to pick up a new script for Microgestin Fe 1/20 (which i believe is generic for Loestrin) today and was researching its side effects. I stumbled upon this forum and my fiance and I just had a EUREKA moment after reading all these posts. It seems we have been dealing with my side effects from Yaz for almost two years now. I was in graduate school at the time when I first started taking YAZ, and I chalked up the loss of libido just to sheer stress of going to school full time and working full time. So, I quit the job and focused on school. That did not really help anything, including my finances. Moodiness became another issue. I flipped out on a roommate which caused me and my then boyfriend (now fiance) to almost separate after 2 years together. I NEVER equated all of this to taking YAZ and now, I am in complete shock that other women are saying they feel the same way! The lack of sex drive is what really took a major toll on the relationship between me and my fiance. However, I have been off YAZ for over 18 months now and my libido has not returned. A previous gyno put me on a combination of Micronor and Wellbutrin to try to help with this as she believed that the estrogen (which apparently binds with testosterone) was the problem. I guess she was saying that since the estrogen and testosterone bind together, they get eliminated and thus there is not enough testosterone in the bloodstream to have a healthy sex drive. It really has not helped, but as a psychologist myself I do know that many of the antidepressants can take a while to get used to. All I have really gotten used to is the Parkinson's like symptom of constant shakiness. My steady hand is completely gone, but I am still taking it with hopes that someday my sex drive will return. I was wondering if any other women have similar experiences of lack of libido, but my question is did it return when you stopped taking Yaz? If so, did you continue to take another BC or did you simply stop using BC altogether. If it didn't return, I'd like to hear your story as well. Any kind of input will be so helpful for me. Finally, my feelings have been validated by you guys. Unfortunately, I'm still searching for the magic cure so that when I finally do get married in August, our wedding night will be something he and I will never forget. As I'm sure some of you know, it's extremely upsetting to be so young and not feel any sexual desire whatsoever. I also thought at the time (and sort of now, since I just turned 25) that maybe I was just "getting old." Now, I feel like I have an answer. Hopefully the solution will come out as well. Thanks to all you ladies (and gentleman who write about their ladies) for the support and comments! Keep 'em comin'!

S.

Wow! I've been also on Yaz for about 3 months & just recently married a month ago and we're supposed to still be honeymooning but It has completely turned me into a crazy woman & I feel horrible that my marriage had to start off this way! It has cleared my face up which I love, but I have been trying to figure out what's wrong with me & even thought about therapy! I do have the headaches & actually have a slight one now! Blurry vision yes! Moodiness yes! Depressed feelings yes! Increased appetite yes! Tender breast yes! Body aches yes! Fatigue yes! Ok I guess here's my sign & Im calling my doc tomorrow! This med is scaring me! I'm so sick of all these craziness ass side effects with birth control! I'm so over it!

I started taking right after my daughter was born and have been on it for almost 3 years. I am now 41. In reading the comments about yaz, I would like to post what I have experienced in almost 3 years.
Severe headaches
45 pound weight gain, after dropping weight from the baby
Always feeling puffy, like water retention
Major Depression
Always craving foods with sugar in them
Loss of breath
Loss of breath when climbing steps - worse
Dissy
Major muscle pain and aches
Nausea, but still having sugar cravings
Stomach pain, bloating and gas - major
Hard time breathing, palpitations
Hair loss
Severe drying of as well as brittle hair and nails
Hard time focusing and concentrating
Extremely forgetful
No energy at all - I worked out 4-5 times a week at 5 am, to never working out and having no energy, also light headed when working out.
No sex drive, over time went completely away.
In fact, I have been checked several times for a thyroid problem, and my blood work keeps coming back fine.
So I am having the similar symptoms as thyroid.
I did not associate that my problems can be from Yaz, but reading reason reports I started to wonder. The reason I thought I may have thyroid, is because I have a family history with severe thyroid problems. But in reading everything on Yaz, my problems all started right after I started taking this pill. Right now am I going to stop the pill and see what happens.

Hi My names Lindsey. I was on yaz since may of 2005. In may 2009 I realized that it was causing way to many problems. In these four years I have never been so miserable in my life. In the beginning it was fine. There were no side effects at all. After about 5 months i became very moody and anxious. I started to feel sick everyday, I lost my libido all together, and would freak out over the smallest things. I never realized what was causing all this since i have a history of moderate depression in my family. This pill doubled all of my hormones. I didn't feel like myself anymore. I gained a lot of weight, sleep all the time, and could barely keep up with school. I would take everything personal, and hurt a lot of people during this time. The side effects got so severe that i had no choice but to get off. Shortly after getting off of it i had severe anxiety, depression, and even panic attacks. I would not even try another type of contraceptive. It was not worth feeling any of these symptoms to possibly get pregnant. I am now in counseling , and on antianxiety drugs. Im honestly feeling a lot better than i did, but its going to take time to get back to normal. If i were you i would just stick to the traditional condom, and hope for the best.

My name is Lynn, I posted twice on this site. I had stopped using YAZ in March 2009 when I happened to see a commercial for it. The FDA wanted to "clarify" what it was to be used for and since my doctor's couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, I thought maybe this pill might be the problem. I went on line and found this website, plus so many others!
Either way, it's now December and ALL the side effects are gone! My hair has stopped coming out, the hot flashes are gone, the fatigue, mood swings, constant abdominal pain and gastric issues are completely gone. I don't know what would have happened had I remained on this pill, since all the doctors I saw couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I don't like to think about it given the list of side effects.

There might be a small percentage of women who this pill helps, but from what I've seen and read, most of the women taking it are not helped at all! I also noticed their symptoms showed up much sooner than mine. Mine were cumulative and took at least a year. There are so many other forms of the pill that are NOT like this. Try one of those before you try this one. It's not worth it. Take my word for it. From start to finish, this issue took 2 years of my life and I consider myself lucky.

I started using YAZ in March of this year, for cramps. Not only has it made them worse, I have them CONSTANTLY. I'm always hurting, whether it be my head or stomach or chest. I've gotten to the point where the mood swing are so bad my boyfriend has said it's either him or the pills. My appetite changes daily, and most days I can't eat because I just wanna throw it up...not sure if that's something else though. I constantly have breakthrough bleeding, it doesn't stop. I can't control the things I do, like getting mad, or crying, or yelling.....and it's ruining my life. School makes it extremely hard to keep the stress under control. And the weight gain, I was told I would gain MAYBE 5 pounds, I've gone up two jean sizes.....in 8 months. I wouldn't recommend this to ANYONE, as I am going to the doctor next week to switch.

I was put on yaz to treat my endometriosis, however, since starting it two months ago i have not stopped bleeding. I was advised not to take the white tablets so that it stops my periods, however I have extreme back ache, headaches, uncontrollable crying spells, breasts are extremely painful, partner cant even touch them!!! I suffer with my endometriosis but i am starting to question which is worse,do i carry on taking yaz hoping i will stop bleeding eventually and the back, breast and head pain will go away or stop taking it and suffer with endometriosis symptoms?? Help? I have tried many pills before including Yasmin, however they dont suit me, starting to get a bit down with it all to be honest, im 24 and my docs advise was to 'have a baby' that will hopefully sort out endo, not really an ideal answer if you ask me. any help, advise will be greatly appreciated x