Yaz side effects

i've been on yaz for almost 6 months now, and i absolutely love it.
i was diagnosed with severe PMDD, and would get horribly depressed to the point of thinking of suicide for a week/week and a half before each period. i had cramps so bad i could hardly move, couldn't sleep, would have no sex drive, and could barely get myself out of bed. then, right after my period was gone, i'd be back to normal again. it took quite awhile for me to realize what was going on after i had seen some commercials for yaz talking about PMDD and how much it can affect your every day life. since taking yaz, i have had NO depression bouts and absolutely no cramps. my sex drive has actually increased, and my skin has cleared up completely.
after reading most of these reviews, i'm thinking that if you do not have a form of PMDD yaz will have the opposite effect on you that it is supposed to have as is the case for some depression medications. they clearly state on the commercials that it is for the use of treating PMDD and moderate acne, and do not encourage you to take yaz if you do not have those current symptoms.
not trying to start anything, just don't want people to have a horrible view on this pill as it has changed my life in so many ways for the better. :)

I started using YAZ about 6 months ago. When I first started on this birth control I would get really bad headaches and nausea. For the past couple of months the side effects have gotten worse. I haven't had a period that lasted more than 2 days for the last 3 months. Last month I didn't get a period at all and had to take a pregnancy test. My appetite has been uncontrollable for the past couple of months also. I feel like I don't get full. The worst side effect that I have experienced with this pill is severe mood swings that I have been getting for the past couple of months. I have been getting very depressed for no apparent reason. I decided to look up side effects of YAZ today because my depression is so uncontrollable and I have no real reason to be depressed! I have a great husband and beautiful 1 year old daughter and I started to think it has to be my birth control because I'm not taking anything else. I'm so glad that I looked this up. I will not be picking up my prescription today (when I'm supposed to start a new pack) and see if this helps my mood. Also, I haven't gotten my period this month either and I'm supposed to start a new pack today!!

i was on the depo shot, and LOVED it! for the first few months i spotted All throughout the month which got really annoying, but after a few months my periods stopped completely!! it was AMAZING!!!! i didn't gain any weight on the shot, but i was Always hungry and Never felt full. after going off of the shot i still didn't have a period at all for like 3 or 4 months! :D .... but then.... i started bleeding ALL the time. off one week, on for a whole week, off one week, on for a whole week...etc. this happened for 2 to 3 months. finally i went a gyn and she recommended that i go on yaz to regulate my period. ... it worked for a little while, but for the passed 3 or 4 months i bleed at least twice a month! both for about a week at a time. this sucks!! and sadly any hormone makes me a little moody :/ i was at a really steady weight of 111 and sky rocketed to 120 when i went on the pill. i go to the gym at least 2 to 3 times a week (as i did before i started the pill)... and im down to 115. but it seems to want to stay at 115 :/ so still a little weight gain involved. sometimes my sex drive is super amazing to where i almost climax at the snap of a finger. but lately... a lot lately, its almost impossible to climax! :( which is super disappointing and frustrating!. (any advice for the climaxing part? :( lol seriously. ) ... i don't want to go off of birth control, because sadly i Hate rubbers! my mom wanted me to try microgestin cause i bleed a lot on yaz, but those pills don't look or sound appealing to me. any suggestions?? lol... overall i would recommend either yaz or the depo shot. both have ups and downs. :)

I was on Yaz for about 5 months...first 4 months seemed great...In fact I didn't have a period at all and my acne disappeared! But, I was feeling fancy...irrabtible..but, didn't think too much about it until the 5th month on the pill..all of a sudden I had extreme panic attacks, went to the ER and everything...and my blood pressure was very high. I felt so crazy and scared like there was something really wrong with me..I thought i was going crazy! i have been off of the Yaz (stopped in the middle of the pack) for 3 days now and feel so much better...it was very scary.

I just had a baby five months ago. Started taking Yaz at my six week check-up. I am 28 yrs old. My side effects include: mood swings, MAJOR LOSS OF SEX DRIVE, weight gain, headaches, nausea at night before bed, Inability to pay attention, Restlessness, backaches, An aversion to touch, sometimes I feel as if I don't have any emotions at all. depressed for no reason. and so vary tired all time. I had taken Yaz before and experienced some side effects but was only on for a month my effects were headaches, and break through bleeding. Had a baby and tried it again and now I am just wondering what is wrong with me. My wonderful husband has been so understanding and wants his wife back lol. After reading other postings I am not going to finish this months pack and stop this craziness once and for all.

Hello,
I have been on Yaz for a little over a year. I have experience a few side a affects, which has me on the path to changing my birth control. Since I was 18 I was on Othro Novum, last year I decided to try Yaz to help me with my mood swings during my period. I have notice I have gained about 8 pounds this year. I have been working out for the last month and my weight has not moved. I went on that website for yas and weight gain. Thinking okay limit my calorie in take and workout. That has not work. Recently, I have been having BAD migraine headaches. I had a migraine headaches the entire week before my period and during the week of my period. I went to a neurologist earlier this week and he prescribed me migraine medicine and told me to get off the YAZ. Oh yea and decrease sex drive. Sex is thing from my mind. So, now the question is what do I go on now. I am 26 and I didn't have this many problems on my previous birth control. I thought about Yasmin but I hear you can have a decrease in sex drive with that too. So what do you go on then?????? lol

I have taken YAZ for over a year now and have recently stopped after running out. I have recently started gaining weight, becoming moody, but I have noticed that I have a lot more energy where as before I was sluggish and had a very hard time getting out of bed. I would get up late and take a nap in the afternoon. It got bad enough that I was running late to work, and was not able to get up to attend class on time. Lately I have been up early and have stayed up all day. I wish the weight gain would go away being that I've gained about 20lbs in 3 months and I feel hungry all the time.
My big problem is that my period has been about a day in length or non-existent (I know lucky me) but I have never had this problem. My period has been regular since it started 12 years ago. I take pregnancy tests every month being that it makes me nervous that I could be pregnant and they come out negative. The doctor doesn't seem concerned and says it'll start again. Im curious if anyone else has experienced this problem in stopping bc because this is the first time I have ever stopped taking pills. It makes me nervous as to whether I should be seeking different health care being that I am still young and have not had children yet.

I have just started taking Yaz and have had severe cramping for 5 days. My period is quite light, but extremely painful. I fell really sick all the time. My doctor says to persist with it, but really the cramps are way to painful.

Now I am on week 2 of Yaz...
Still no weight gain & my mood swings have actually stopped. I think the only reason I had them was because I was on my period during the first week I took Yaz. I've never had acne, just a few pimples here & there & I have already noticed that the few I did have started to disappear a few days ago.
However, after having a lighter period for the normal 7 days, I continued to bleed lightly (spotting) for about 4-5 days after my period, which was extremely annoying. AND I noticed a decreased sex drive. My boyfriend and I used to have sex 2-3 times a day, & over the past week we have only had sex twice =[
I will keep you posted as more time goes on, right now I feel so-so about this pill- I don't love it, but don't hate it either. Definitely has its ups and downs.

I have been on this med for about 2 years. Until about 2 months ago, I had zero problems and it was great! About 2 months ago I started having SERIOUS issues. I had never had a palpitation or chest pain in my life and then I started having heart palpitations, chest pains, shortness of breath - sometimes it feels like I'm not going to be able to take the next breath. I was in the ER - they said it was my thyroid and gave me synthroid - that made everything worse so they gave me a beta blocker to cover up those symptoms. I quit taking ALL medication! I am not a pill taker and it doesn't make any sense to take a med and try to cover up those side effects/symptoms with the next med and so on. I can't find a good Dr. who will actually listen. I have been on the heart monitor and it found I was having PVC's all the time. I was then referred to a cardiologist - after a one thousand dollar visit with only an EKG he said my heart is fine - go home. I told every Dr. about Yaz - none of them could connect the dots! I thought I connected them....only by chance. I forgot to take my pill for a couple of days in the middle of all of this and stopped when I finally remembered to take one a couple of days later. I thought to myself.....hey - I've felt a little bit better the last couple of days. I was near the end of the pack so I QUIT taking them!! Best decision I ever made! Within 2 weeks my symptoms had pretty much disappeared! I thought I had it solved. I am 43 years old and in really good health. A few days ago my palpitations are back - but they are different this time. Before I had a "normal" heart rate but it felt like my heart was going to thump out of my chest. Now I have that PLUS a racing pulse! Chest pains are a part of daily life. Mornings and nights are the worst but I think it's going on all day - if I'm moving around I just don't notice it as much. These symptoms reappear a few days before I'm supposed to have my first period after quitting Yaz. I'm wondering if it's hormonal or menopause or if this stuff will just stick around for a while. I'm scared! I've read about people dieing and it's traced back to Yaz! I have a 6 year old precious daughter that I kiss good night and pray like heck that I get the next day with her! It's just not fair - I really wish I could find some answers. Anybody out there got any? Thanks.

Heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pains, tired, depressed, mad, scared!

I started taking YAZ in May 2008, after I told my doctor that I wanted to regulate my period (basically because I was going on scuba diving trip and didn't want to have my period) - I also told him that I was kind of b*tchy lately and maybe there was a pill that could help that as well. He prescribed YAZ - I went on my trip, no period (very light periods also)... In September 2008, I went to a cardiologist for heart palpitations, chest pains, shortness of breath (never thinking that YAZ had anything to do with it). After a huge array of tests (cat scans, blood clot scans, blood work, stress tests, etc...), he didn't find anything, but advised me to take 1 baby aspirin per day. About a month later, I started getting dizzy spells. I stopped taking the aspirin, figuring that's what was causing that (still never thinking about the YAZ - basically, because I had never had a problem with any other birth control pills). I took my last YAZ in January 2009. It seemed that my ill conditions slowly stopped.... Then, last week, in June 2009, I bought a pack from my almost expired prescription because I was going on another scuba trip and my period was scheduled to come when I would be away... I took a pill on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (got my period, but it was very light), but by Sunday, I was so dizzy again, I could barely stand up. That was 3 days ago; still dizzy, but I'm writing off YAZ for good - it seems like that was cause of my health problems and it really isn't worth it just so I can plan a vacation around my period. I will be looking into alternatives to YAZ - I would advise if you have any of these symptoms, to do so as well.... Good luck! L....

I've been on Yaz for approximately 3 months changing from Yasmin based on lower-level of hormones in Yaz. I had no negatives on Yasmin, in fact, it worked very well with my body. Although, I faced getting off birth control altogether (suggested by my gyne) or changing to a lower dose - I decided on the latter. Since on Yaz I've gained approx. 10-15 lbs. I workout 4X/wk so claims suggesting that working out regularly should squash weight gain are simply untrue. I can't seem to shake the layer of fat around my lower abdominal, hips, arms and chest. I thought perhaps I was going crazy but then my chiropractor and I figured out what had changed in my diet outside of taking vitamin supplements (i.e. Vitamin D, Omega 3 and a mutli-vitamin). Although there are claims vitamin supplements can cause weight gain as well, the extra weight coincided w/ the time frame in which I started Yaz not the supplements which began long before it.

I've decided to get off hormones altogether (originally suggested by my gyne) and take nothing. I'm hoping in conjunction w/ regular exercise and a healthy diet the 15 lbs. will come off.

In hindsight, I guess the birth control worked in one sense, w/ the extra weight I most certainly didn't get attention from male suitors!

I am so glad I decided to look at side effects of Yaz tonight. I have been on it for 4 months and have gone through hell the last 4 months. I attributed my depression and mood swings to losing my job, which I loved very much, and having to go back to waiting tables, which I don't love. But in the back of my head I knew that I would normally be able to weather this kind of thing with poise. Instead I've been crying myself to sleep almost every night, been short tempered with my daughter and husband, and had zero sex drive. When breakthrough bleeding happened again (I've had it every month), I called my doctor. She is switching my pill in 10 days, but after reading all this, I wish it were tomorrow. Anybody on this pill who has experienced any kind of life change (emotional, mental, physical) since taking it should request to be switched. As patients on a voluntary prescription like birth control, we have the right to switch whenever we choose. You don't have to wait 3 months!

I just started taking Yaz about a week ago. So far I have noticed both good and bad things about this pill.
The good side to Yaz is: It got rid of my cramps & made my period soo much lighter, I couldn't believe it. You know how your period is usually heavy the first few days, then gets lighter towards the end? Well the entire time it felt very light like how it normally would feel the LAST day of my period.

The down side to Yaz: My mother & boyfriend have both noticed that I am a bit more snappy/moody since I started taking it, and I am very tired and feel fatigued in the morning- I've been having a hard time getting out of bed! Also, sometimes before bed I feel a little nauseous.

As for now, I am going to continue taking Yaz, UNLESS my mood swings get worse or I experience any other side effects.
I am 19 years old by the way, if that helps.

i started yaz a couple of weeks ago and i have these symptoms:i get irritated very easily,i do not fell like doing anything,i fell like crying most of the time and have no idea why.I am a cna and work us eot be the happiest place for me. but now i just try me make a happy face for the patient and want to get out of there room asap.I hope it stops soon because this is no way of living i will still give a week or so.

i started taking Yaz about 2 months ago and ever since i started i have had no energy and all i want to do is eat. I have gained a couple pounds and am constantly bloated. When i get my period i have horrible cramps and don't feel like eating which i had not experienced until starting this pill. I have also been very snappy and angry at everyone and so school is miserable. i called my doctor and they won't let me try a different kind of birth control until ive been on yaz for 3 months. i do not recommend this pill.

I took yaz for maybe two weeks. after one week my breast blew up a cup size. they were so swollen! then i started noticing i was gaining weight but my diet hadn't changed. i started to swell all over within the next week. but what made me quit taking this pill was that i started getting these sharp intense pain in my upper abdominal region. it would come and gnaw at me for like 2-5 seconds then it would just go away. there was also like this temperature sensation anytime i would eat or drink anything. i've been off of it now for 5 days! i still have not got my period, my breast are still swollen, and my stomach pains are still there. i know im not pregnant, because i haven't had any sex! when is this going to get out of system or has it done something to me? i would imagine if you skip your period in one day and you can get pregnant in that one day... the pill should be out of your system! anyway- anyone else have this same situation?

I was on Yasmin and then YAZ for about 5 years and started when I was 19, and am now 24.

ON YAZ: I got a lot of urinary tract infections, had mood swings, depression, snappiness, and anxiety. I also felt swelling and occasional bruising in my legs ( started when I was 23). I stayed really thin and never felt bloated (5''7 120). I also never got pimples.

OFF YAZ: I have actually gained a few pounds and I KNOW its from going off the YAZ because it happened almost instantly. (5"7 126) YAZ does have a diuretic in it, so it really does help with the water retention. I feel bloated for the first time in my life. I broke out a little bit on my face and back. However, my mood swings have gone away, and my depression and anxiety have been almost non-existent. I am so much happier! I no longer feel swelling and bruising in my legs. My Urinary tract infections are gone as well.

Overall, I am a little bit chubbier, and have a few more pimples. But- I am happier, less irritable, anxiety free, and generally have a better, healthier outlook on life. The swelling in my legs and UTIs have also disappeared.

Any suggestions on a new BC?

I originally started YAZ about two years ago primarily to help with irregular or extended periods. I went off for about 8 months and had very light if any periods until about two months ago when my symptoms started back up. I went on YAZ for a month and my first week on the white or placebo pills the bleeding was extremely heavy. I'm sorry if this is graphic but I went to sleep for 5 hours with a tampon in and woke up soaked in blood. I freaked out and went to the ER and was told this is a normal side effect of this pill. Just prior to this I experienced:

terrible migraine headaches
brain fog
loss of focus
inability to think and communicate clearly
increased sensitivity to sound
terrible anxiety around people
mood swings- I didn't realize this until reading everyone else's posts

From my hospital visit I also learned my blood pressure was extremely high which could be a result of this pill.

I am so thankful to everyone on here that were so brave and kind to share their stories. I hope my post will be just as helpful.

thanks,

S

I am 21 years old and have had acne since I was 13. Not normal acne, it was like cystic and none could make it go away. I was also acting nuts when my period came around. I've tried SO many birth control pills and Yaz is the only one that has worked on my acne AND my moods. I was on Yasmin prior and the doctor said it was making me crazy so to try to sister Yaz. I know people that are on it and they hate it, but I think if you have SEVERE PMS and SEVERE acne, it will work to your advantage. The only thing I have had trouble with is awful migraines, but I got new glasses that are anti-reflectant and that seems to help tremendously. I'm taking Zoloft as well and I notice that if I take them at the same time, I get horrible nausea, so by taking them 12 hours apart, all is well!

Back in February, I experienced a similar bleeding. It started mid pack as well. I had gotten my period the last week of January (all normal). About a week or a week and a half later, I started bleeding again!!! I got worried, so I went to see my doctor and she said, "oh don't worry, it's normal, it's probably just your pills... keep taking them for a few months just to confirm it's the pills and if the same symptoms occur, then we'll switch you to a different brand..." Can you believe that??? If they're all ready causing me ANYTHING... take me off of them... don't wait til... "oh just keep taking them and if they kill you... then we'll know it was the pill..." Ridiculous! I already changed my doctor! Anyway, I bleeding for 2 weeks. Then I continued the pill. The next month, my period was what I can say "normal", but the following month, I didn't get my period at all practically. I just noticed some spotting, so I got a tampon in just in case.. for my whole 'period week', i just kept spotting on my tampons. As if it wasn't a real period. I don't know what's going on. And honestly... I don't believe these doctors anymore with their "the symptoms will only last 3 months... or it's nothing serious... it's normal..." bull crap!!!

For me, mostly, Yaz has been heaven sent. I had a horrible case of PMDD and it is much more manageable now. My only complaint is that after 15 months of being on Yaz, I have been bleeding now for 17 days with no end in sight. This bleeding started mid-pack and is much more severe within a couple of hours of taking a pill. Anyone else experience this?

i have been on yaz for 8 days and for 8days i have had my period i had cramps so bad i couldn't get out the bed for 2 days constant headaches leg cramps tired but can't sleep dizzy sick stomach very moody i would not recommend this pill to anyone at all it would be a big mistake to take this pill

Well, I'm really glad I found this site. I can't believe how disillusioned I was. My doc prescribed Yaz because for the past year and a half I have had extremely irregular periods and would go from not having any period at all for a few months to have a two week period. I would also have dark brown to practically black spotting often. So my doc said to try Yaz.

I would much rather go back to what was happening before to what's happening now. I have only been on Yaz for 2 months now (I am on the last few days of my second pack). First month I was so depressed and would cry and didn't care about much of anything. I felt like an idiot. I started to hate my job that I love. When it came for the break in the pack I didn't start my period until the day I started the new pack and it was the most painful and heavy period I have had in my entire life (and I used to have pretty bad periods when I was a teenager). It lasted for 10 days (at least). What a nightmare.

To make matters worse this month I have been angry and snappy at everyone and for no real reason at all. The smallest thing makes me extremely irritated. I have been having pain in my wrists and knees which I have had a pre-existing issues with but the pain is worse now. Headaches, constant bloating, foggy brain as if I am stoned or something, disinterested in things I normally care about. My legs have been so itchy I am scratching the skin raw and have started to develop small itchy red dots on my arms and legs. I am thirsty a lot, to the point where I have to bring a water bottle with me everywhere. And most concerning for me is that I have been extremely nauseated, dealing with severe stomach pain, mild to moderate vomiting. Also recently I have been really really tired. I was really sick this week, was it a stomach flu or Yaz pulling another trick out of it's pocket?

I work at a bank and the emotional parts of this makes it extremely hard to to my job. Thank God I have an extremely understanding boss. I am stopping Yaz immediately because this is insanity. I don't think that I'm going to take birth control pills again. I have an appointment to talk to my doctor next week and I will talk to her about different options. I am only 24, this should not be the case.

I am sitting here reading these posts shaking my head in disbelief! I have been taking yaz for 8 months & have the following side effects: don't care about ANYTHING, snappy & extremely irritable all the time, absolutely HATE sex & I have never ever had that problem, weight gain my stomach has never been this big before, my boobs are HUGE they have increased a bra size at least, all I do is eat, hot flashes for no reason, & just don't like anybody anymore. My memory is gone, & I can't pay attention at all nor do I care enough about anything to pay attention. I took my last yaz yesterday I am all done with this horrible pill & I pray I get back to normal soon!

I am 3 1/2 weeks into my 1st month of YAZ and have been bleeding for the past 8 days with no signs of stopping. I have a decrease in appetite and I am tired a lot all of a sudden. Any ideas how long the bleeding will last????

I am into 3 1/2 weeks now on my 1st month of YAZ and have been bleeding for 8 straight days now with no signs of stopping. Other than that, no other side effects. I do have a decrease in appetite but the bleeding is annoying for me and my husband! Any ideas of how long this usually lasts?

Hi All,

I have a personal and family history of depression. If I had known of the emotional side effects of Yaz I would never have chosen to change my birth control pill following the birth of my daughter in September 07. I had been on a traditional birth control pill prior to her birth. Yaz caused me to get so depressed that actually considered suicide which is something I had never done in any of my previous episodes.. I've been on Lexapro to control the depression along with very mild AD/HD since about 2004. I The AD/HD also began return recently, mainly impulsive. I've been pulling away from my husband and into myself. We live with my mother-in-law and the irritability was causing an emotional rollercoaster for my husband who is currently back in school. Also, I had 0 sex drive, my husband kept saying that our sex life was over at 33. As of this past Friday I am completely off of the Yaz and will be starting my previews birth control at my next period

IM ONLY 19 MY SEX DRIVE IS AT 0. THIS IS DEF NOT NORMAL FOR ME. MY BOYFRIEND OF 2 YEARS AND I NEVER HAVE SEX AND ITS BECAUSE I NEVER FEEL LIKE IT I JUST DON'T HAVE THE DRIVE WHEN WE USE TO HAVE SEX AT LEAST 5 TIMES A WEEK NOW ITS ONCE EVERY 2 WEEKS AND ITS BECAUSE I FEEL HORRIBLE FOR NOT GETTING TURNED ON. MY BOYFRIEND THINKS IM NO LONGER INTO HIM AND IT DOESN'T HELP THAT HE HAS AN INCREASED SEX DRIVE FROM WORKING OUT AND BEING A FIREFIGHTER. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE BEFORE YAZ I THOUGHT IT WOULD HELP WITH CRAMPS AND ACNE BUT ID RATHER HAVE THOSE SYMPTOMS THEN NOT HAVE SEX WITH THE PERSON I LOVE.NOT ONLY HAS IT EFFECTED OUR SEX BUT NOW OUR EMOTIONAL RELATIONSHIP SINCE THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 5 MONTHS IM A REALLY BUSY INDEPENDENT PERSON WORK FULL TIME AT A HOSPITAL AND GO TO SCHOOL PART TIME I JUST NEVER HAD THE TIME TO BE TOO CONCERNED HONESTLY I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A PHASE BUT MY BOYFRIEND THE OTHER DAY SAT ME DOWN AND SAID IT HAS EFFECTED HIM JUST AS MUCH ME IF NOT MORE BECAUSE EVERY TIME I TURN HIM DOWN IT HURTS HIM ESPECIALLY SINCE HE KEEPS TRYING AND IS NOW EXPECTING ME TO SAY NO AND I FINALLY REALIZED THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND IS EFFECTING ME MORE THEN I REALIZED. IV MADE AN APT TO SEE MY DOCTOR I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH ME UNTIL I READ THIS AND NOW IT GIVES ME HOPE TO MAYBE ITS JUST YAZ. THANKS TO ALL WHO SHARED

BTW just wanted to point out that most people turn up this page on a search because they are having negative side effects. Therefore, most people who post are having similar bad side effects, and this is where blog postings tend to get biased because people who are having success on the drug are not blogging about it. I just think that all the 14-16 year old girls who are now on BC should have access to unbiased information and in no case should be encouraged to stop a medication and "fight the effects of coming off" without consulting their doctor first. No offense to 'emhatesyaz' intended.

I have had great luck on Yaz. I had terrible PMDD symptoms before I started and now they are pretty much gone and I am back to normal again. I noticed no serious side effects over the last 3 months on Yaz. My breasts swelled up a bit and I noticed increased dreaming, but nothing problematic. What everyone should realize is that while no drug is good for everyone, that doesn't mean it's not good for anyone!! If you have bothersome side effects, you should talk to your doc and find alternative BC methods. NEVER QUIT TAKING A DRUG SUDDENLY. Doing so can cause horrible side effects to worsen. In my opinion, people shouldn't just blog to other, possibly younger and less knowledgeable people to "quit taking it now and deal with the effects of stopping". That is terrible advice. Communication between you and your doctor is the recipe for success for any new treatment plan.

Yaz has done wonders for me and my terrible mood swings. Just wanted to put this out there for anyone considering it, because you may have read some things down below written my ignorant people that could be a hazard to your health. If you don't like your doctor or can't reach them by phone, it may be time to find a second, third, fourth, etc. opinion. Trust your doctor, not the Internet.

I've taken Yaz for the past 18 months. It was fine the first few months, then I started to get severely depressed - suddenly and for no reason. I had a hard time wanting to live, despite the fact that I have the "perfect" life as a stay-at-home mom, 2 kids and a wonderful husband. I also would feel like crying quite often for no reason. Everything else was fine: regular periods, good skin, no weight gain.

I recently quit yaz, about 6-8 weeks ago because of the mood swings. This is how I feel nearly every day since: shaky, crazy in the head, headaches (which I never got before), full of anger and outbursts at my children & husband, jittery and sleepy in the afternoon (like I have low blood sugar or something). I really feel like I'm going crazy. I'm going to go see my doctor this week to see what's up. I was considering hypoglycemia, diabetes, or thyroid problems, so I'm glad I found this site and considered yaz as the culprit.

OMG! Thought it was due to my age. Thought I was going crazy! Everyone of these issues I have.
Headaches, fatigue, fuzzy head, incredible appetite, quick weight gain. I also have lost a lot of hair and have hair damage (very dry and breaking off).
My doctor actually suggested this product to help with my PMDD. Did not help me just created another set of issues. I do not need birth control I need the hormones but not that bad.

Has anyone else had problems with their hair?

I started the Yaz . First BC ever for me , Im 38. I did try the Nuva Ring once but stopped after 2 weeks because of a burning sensation down there. So, not ever searching symptoms, side effects on line ever for any BC I decided to take this Yaz , recommended by my doctor explaining if I had PMS , Yaz may ease that as well. Ok, sounds great. Also I was told Yaz had a diuretic in it too , which was a plus to me because I tend to hold water , bloat a lot during the month. So, Im happy go lucky thinking wow, this is great. My face cleared up , I felt the bloat going away, Boy was I in for a surprise !
The second month of a pack is when I went down hill and fast ! Depression hit me so fast out of no where...I never had a clue a BC could do this ! I started having bad dreams every night. Bad headaches. Like the kind where I was holding my hand to my head constantly. Emotional. Snappy , grouchy. Irritated , impatient with my boys. I felt like ripping my hair out. Weird I was.....then is when I stared doing research online.
This is so sad to me , now I think of all the sweet young girls getting on these and feeling these side effects and not even knowing it is the BC. I have boys but I would be devastated if I had a daughter and had to worry about preventing pregnancy. I stopped taking them and had the Essure done to avoid ever ever having hormones in me again. I am so so sorry for the millions of women who have been on BC and had to suffer from this. It is not you , you cant help be witchy....it is the BIRTH Control !!

I took Yaz for a month and the whole time I suffered from urinary tract infections. After taking 4 different antibiotics and having my doctor say that the cause could not be the birth control pill I decided to discontinue. I'm lucky to be a researcher and have access to journals and research information that helped me figure out that it was, in fact, the pill. Doctors do not know anything and I lived in HELL for a month because of yaz with people treating me as if I'm crazy because they would not admit it was the pill. Their only suggestions was to see a urologist. As I imagined, once I stopped taking the pill the uti symptoms went away. THIS PILL AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM INCLUDING DOCTORS THAT CAN NEVER BE REACHED SUCKS. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS THE WORST HEALTH CARE AND THEY TREAT PATIENTS LIKE CATTLE. YAZ is a horrible drug that is overrated.

I began Yaz 10 days ago. This was my first time being on the birth control pill at all, and immediately at day 5, I experienced numbness in my left arm and leg. I saw my GP on day 7, and he wasn't concerned but said to stop taking it. Then on Day 8 I saw my gyno he switched me to Nuvaring, but I continued to have the same problem and developed a headache. He told me to take the nuvaring out and go to the ER. The ER determined that I didn't have a stroke, or a blood clot, which was the main concern. He said if it isn't better in a few days to make an appt with the neurologist. I went ahead and made one for next week because the numbness hasn't improved. I'm worried. I also read where it could be Vitamin B-12 deficiency so I'm going to get some Vitamins to take until then. I'm worried.

I'm just in shock.
I can't believe that this sort of thing can go on.
My experience is all over this page. And the seven after it.

I graduated high school with a 99 GPA and was at the top of my class.
I was accepted to medical school along with my admission to college.
I started Yasmin at the same time.

All of a sudden I was getting classic migraines multiple times every month.
Soon, Yasmin became Yaz. Okay, fair enough, nurse says to switch, I'll switch. Yaz is said to be safer.

Time goes by... I'm irritable, I've lost my sex drive, I'm dragging myself out of bed in the morning if I get to classes at all, but I miss lots of them.
My GPA falls from a 4.0 to a 3.6.

I had to come home last semester because of how sick I was. Nurse says that the doctor wants me off Yaz because of the risk of classic migraines.

Liver enzymes were screwed up - fatty liver at 20?? - and cholesterol is backwards. My heart races a lot, too.
My anxiety is out of control and I'm depressed for the first time in my life.

I've been off Yaz since November of 2008 and still haven't had a period.
Additionally, I still haven't MET my gynecologist, despite asking repeatedly if I can see her.

Now she's ruled out PCOS and all other causes and wants me to "jump start" my period with more synthetic hormones.
This feels so wrong.

I have IBS, nausea, back pain, and abdomen pain. This is all just too much. I'm disillusioned with the medical field now and am having a hard time accepting that I wanted to put myself in a position in which I'd have to either perpetuate the problem or fight it. It doesn't make sense.

There needs to be a lawsuit, and now.

I am quitting Yaz tomorrow. All totaled, I've been on it for about 3 years (I quit a year and a half ago because I was getting terrible yeast infections and gross brown discharge every month, but then after I quit I didn't have a period for three months, and that drove me nuts, so I got back on). I've recently realized that I have EVERY symptom. I have zero sex drive (actually, less than zero--the thought of sex makes me sick to my stomach) and I used to be way more "excitable" than my boyfriends. Now my bf thinks I don't find him to be attractive, which couldn't be more false! When we do have sex, I do not get wet (ever) and do not have an orgasm about 90% of the time (I used to have multiple EVERY time). I get foot cramps every night (no joke), sometimes multiple times per night. I've gained 20 lbs since I started. I get migraines every month with my period, and sometimes as many as one per week. Though it cleared up my acne, I still get really big cystic acne around my period, so that small benefit isn't enough to outweigh all of the horrible side effects.

Like someone else said, it also has taken away my feelings. I don't feel much of anything anymore...no happiness, no sadness...nothing. I'm always exhausted, no matter how much I sleep, and even with regular exercise and an extremely healthy diet. I get sore nipples and cramps...something I never got pre-Yaz. I just can't take it anymore (literally). I'd rather be zitty than be a fat, sad lady with ZERO sex drive.

I think most of this is all in your heads. It does state clearly in the booklet though that you will have less of a sex drive. But being depressed and all is all own thing. Maybe if you start thinking that its making you happy you will feel happy....

I'm 15 and take Yaz but I feel the opposite of most of all. I have an increased sexual drive even though I shouldn't and I'm not depressed at all. As for emotional... Well I feel very emotional with many mood swings... hmm.

I encourage you to report bad side effects to the FDA.

Perfectly healthy 22 year old. Started YAZ and took it fo r about 7 months. Quit because it gave me scary thoughts. Not necessarily SUICIDAL tendencies, but sick thoughts about once a month that I would get scared and cry. Was very tired and sad a lot. I quit a few weeks ago and my nipples are sore! NEVER had that happen in my life! I think my sex drive went down a bit too.

I am 31 years old and was placed on Yaz to control unexplained and abnormal bleeding (I read the "Packet" my doctor should not have prescribed Yaz for this reason.) I am guessing the Yaz rep was the most recent visitor to his office. Anyways, I began to feel "off" after being on the pill for about 5 days. It was Easter and I could not feel the joy of the family gathering. I just wanted to sleep and not interact with anybody. By day 8 I was feeling EXTREMELY depressed. It was so depressed, I feel for my own safety I had to go to the hospital, I feel so depressed and emotional sad that I was fighting not to kill myself. I went to the ER and given Ativan to calm me. I stopped the YAZ that day (The ER doctor believed it was the Yaz). It took 7 days for Yaz to get out of my system...during that time I was taking Ativan and under constant supervision by my husband. I could not go to work (I am a teacher) and the School psychiatrist called me daily. I am currently on an Anti-depressant (prescribed by my physician, who is not sure if it was the Yaz that caused this.) I know myself and I was NOT myself on this pill.

I am joining the throng that is happy to know I'm not crazy. I have been on Yaz since July of 2008. I have increasingly little interest in anything, I am frequently angry, bordering on rage-filled, and I have no interest in sex. I don't like my husband to touch me anymore--I find it irritating. I feel swollen and bloated a lot. I've blaming it on my job, on crazy traffic, on the economy. I even started to consider that I was entering menopause, but I'm only 35! My doctor suggested it after I complained of low libido on my last pill, but I was 10 times more interested in sex before. I feel like there is just nothing good in my life, and this is very unusual for me. I at least think I used to have a sunny personality. I don't like being this screaming shrew that wants to claw her husband's face off over dirty dishes. I am stopping this pill tomorrow, and am hopeful that some of this will abate.

I was on Loestrin 24Fe for 1 1/2 years. I had chronic urinary tract and yeast infections, gained a crazy amount of weight and had an increase in cup size. I was already large breasted so this was an unwelcome increase. My doctor switched me to Yaz. I suffered from awful mood swings and cried uncontrollably for an entire day right before my period started. I had cramps and excessive bleeding during my periods. After 6 months, I developed a blood clot and had a mini-stroke. I am 34 years old and not a smoker. Birth control pills are unnatural and dangerous.

I've been on YAZ for 10 days now and the none stop ( morning sickness!) is driving me crazy.I feel like I can't eat anything without either feeling nauseated or running to the bathroom to throw my gutes up! I'm also very active,love to run, but on the second day of taking Yaz I was on a run and started feeling really dizzy and blacked out! lucky someone was there to help me.Now I just don't have the energy to even go for a run and just want to lay around.I thought I was under the impression I was supposed to feel better not worse.I'm also thirsty all the time!!!!!!!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I'm really not liken this at all HELP!

I am so relieved to read all of these posts on this website and others. I have been on Yaz for about 7 months now. I couldn't figure out what was going on with me. I have not been myself. I kept blaming this all on my stressful job. I have terrible headaches, body aches, depression and a serious lack sex drive. It is starting to affect my relationship with my husband. I am stopping tonight and know I will be back to myself soon!!

This is a different kind of YAZ post because I am a husband of someone taking YAZ. I looked at this site a couple of months ago and realized that most of the marital problems we have now are related to YAZ. I've tried to talk to my wife about this and she says its not YAZ, she just doesn't love me anymore, in fact she has said sometimes she absolutely hates me. She has almost all of the symptoms that are talked about on this site. She started taking this drug about 21 months ago, and from literally that week on she hates sex and has been unbelievably hateful and moody. We have 3 kids together and it is starting to affect them as well. I have absolutely no idea what to do but I can hopefully help someone in saying that this pill is the worst thing that has happened to my family. All I can hope for now is that they take it off the market sometime so my wife can't get it anymore. She just won't listen to me about it.. If you are taking it , stop right now. I can't believe it is on the market because it sounds like it is tearing families and relationships apart.

I started with YAZ to regulate my horrible periods. Before YAZ, I had horrible cramps, heavy bleeding throughout my full period, and severe cramps, extreme bloating, and it was very irregular. When I started the pill, it helped with all of these problems, and even helped my acne. However, lately I've been suffering from extreme bloating, even when I'm not on my period. My family has a history of bloating about 8-10 pounds while on a period. I just feel HUGE! It kinda makes me depressed. I tell my mother that I am bloating way to often. Thats the only problem I have. Sooo I started to freak out. I've been researching. I even tried numerous pregnancy test, that came out negative, because I feel soooo huge. Well I used birth control, a condom, and Plan B when I had sex. I have been having periods every month at my normal period time as well. So I doubt I would be pregnant. However, I just can't get over the extreme bloating. I am wondering if the pill can cause this issue? I read on YAZ's website that bloating is a cause at the beginning, however I have been on the pill for about 2 and a half years! The bloating has just been a recent issuse. Also, I have been having and extreme amount of discharge, ewww. I looked on YAZ's website and saw it's normal. I'm super confused on what to do. I plan to go to a Dr. I just want to know if anyone else has the same problem as me...?