Yaz and birth control

I just started my third cycle of Yaz. I have never had really bad cramps, but started this for the birth control aspect and to help with mild acne. The first month I did not notice any change. After taking the 2nd month and starting my period I was so bloated and had the worst cramps of my life. It is now three days after my period and I am still bloated with a constant stomach ache. I am hoping this is just from my hormones changing, and will continue to take Yaz until my next period.

I've been on Yaz for 3 months now and have had lower back pain , and major stomach pains that I'm keeling over in pain I did some research on this pill and see all these comments and lawsuits oh my god .. I went to my doctor and she said that birth control don't cause these kind of side affects and she thinks it could be an ulcer and she put me on meds for an ulcer and I'm waiting for blood work results before I go for a scope I don't know what to believe or if I should stop taking the pill and see if this pain goes away any suggestions out there email me at ******

I just started my second month of Yaz, and this last week or so I have been experiencing side effects, such as; mood swings, irritability, loss of patience, sudden crying fits, and headaches. I think it is too soon to notice any weight change, but I am just not happy with myself. I have read through the posts, and I am happy that all of you have posted, but I haven't seen anyone talk about other options. I am wondering if anyone else has been given any recommendations. I have been on Yasmin in the past (high school, I am now 24), but never experienced these side effects before. The pill does clear up my mild acne, but only until I hit the last four pills. Not a concern of mine, I would rather not be so moody and irritated all of the time. Can these side effects happen so soon? I thought that it took longer for birth control to be in your system. Any comments back would be great. As of today, I am off Yaz, and have scheduled an appointment with my gynecologist to discuss further options.

I'm 39 years old and in 2006 i suffered a heart attack while taking Yasmin birth control. In 2007 I had my gallbladder removed. The events happened one year after the other. The heart attack in July of 2006 and the removal of my gallbladder in July of 2007. I never new that this could be from taking Yasmin. I was shocked when the doctor told me i had a heart attack. I'm thinking no way, I'm to young. The only reason why I took the Yasmin was because I have suffered from acne all my life and since I didn't want anymore kids why not use the Yasmin for both. Never in a million years would i think this would have given me all these problems. I now have high blood pressure and I'm still suffering from depression.

I just began doing research on Yaz because I just got married and my sex drive is completely, totally, unequivocally GONE. I'm 25, and I've been on it for about six months. How depressing! My body will not lubricate at ALL or respond to ANY kind of touch. My husband has developed a complex, thinking it's him. :(
After a while I began to think it was the Yaz. I've developed urinary tract infections out of nowhere; I never used to get them.
I'm getting off this pill ASAP because what's the point of birth control if you don't have sex anyway??
I feel really terrible for all of you women with mental side effects, because I know exactly how you feel. However, I've had an opposite experience. Positively, it increased my breast size and cleared up my skin. However, I was already suffering from mental illness previous to starting Yaz. I have Bipolar disorder with added anxiety issues. I was on a regimen of daily Lamictal with occasional use of Xanax for anxiety. My attacks had gotten so bad that I had to go to the emergency room. After a time, I leveled out and decided to stop taking medication because it made me feel flat. I began feeling anxious again, and it was around that time that I started taking Yaz. For me, someone who was ALREADY suffering, Yaz completely turned me around. I have never felt happier, more secure, and more normal mentally in my entire life. My moods are fantastic, I have a huge amount of energy, and I feel like nothing can stop me. It's not mania, though, as I have none of the pathological side effects. I'm just really really happy. I will miss the mental benefits of not taking Yaz, but to me, losing the intimacy with my new husband has just not been worth it.

This can be a great benefit to someone who is perhaps bipolar, but I think if you're healthy mentally to begin with, it can have the opposite effect.

Oh yes I forgot a few things. I also experience extreme hot/cold flashes. My husband yells at me because I am constantly turning the thermostat up and down. Also I am losing my hair, much more than other women I know. I attribute this to my PCOS, which already has a side effect of thinning hair, but I doubt Yaz is helping it any. At this point it's hard to say how many of these side effects are not Yaz related, and it's quite possible that 95% of them aren't. I know I'm young and still maturing, however, these headaches and nausea are not normal (and no I'm not pregnant).

If Yaz works for you, that's fantastic, but for those that are having physical/mental/emotional symptoms that you don't feel are normal, please get yourself checked out. Even if you only go off Yaz for a month to see how your symptoms are affected, please do so. Every birth control pill works differently for every woman, and it might not be for you.

I've been on YAZ for two months now. It's terrible. I'm in my first sexual relationship and it led me to believe I was pregnant for a few days. My period was late, I woke up sick to my stomach, had munchies from hell, and was about as moody as my mother when she tries to quit smoking. I've gained 3 pounds (after being ecstatic for losing 20), had severe pain in my lower abdomen, a vaginal infection, a tightening in my vagina that causes a large amount of pain, extreme breast tenderness, reoccurring headaches, and pains in my chest. I'm scheduled for a pre-op. physical tomorrow. I have a feeling I am going to speak with my physician about switching my birth control. if I get any moodier, I think I may end up running my boyfriend over with my car. :D

xxxxxx

Not only have I been experiencing horrible depression and moodiness from this drug, but this week I found out I'm pregnant!! I took 5 pregnancy tests and their all positive. I'm on this birth control and we used a condom so how the hell did that happen?? I'm 17 years old, a student, a model.. this pregnancy has turned my whole world upside down. I'm seriously considering suing this company!!!

I've been on a lot of different birth control pills, and Yaz is by far the worst. The doctor that prescribed it to me told me that it would help me with my PMS, but it gave me PMS x10! I turned into the Incredible Hulk. I was a basket case. I punched things, slammed doors, threw tantrums and sobbed like a baby. I got the worst acne of my life. It was AWFUL. It turned me into a train wreck. I immediately got off of it, and these CRAZY symptoms went away. NEVER TRY YAZ. IT SUCKS!

I'm 37 and have been taking Yaz for 3 weeks now and all I want to do is sleep and eat. This is the first time I have changed my birth control in 5 years. My doctor put me on Yaz because my PMS is so bad and my boyfriend is over the monthly break up. I feel just like you do....I always worked out at lest 5 days a week and I haven't gained weight since high school. Now I have been eating cookies every night and I'm not working out at all. I was telling my boyfriend that I just don't feel right. I don't even want to finish the pack of Yaz pills I have.... but I'm scared if I start taking my old pills for the rest of the month it's going to mess me up. I'm so happy that I'm not the only girl that feels this way. My boyfriend wants me to give it a chance because my PMS is sooooo bad. All I know is that Weight gain is one of the side effect and I'm not going to put weight on for any reason. If he think I'm a bitch for one week out of the month he doesn't want to see me gaining weight and miserable...TOTAL BITCH !!!
Thanks for your feed back it helped.
J.

I hate Yaz period! It has made me a crazy, inconsistent, bad mood having, cramps like you wouldn't believe mad woman! I was told it would help with my bloating, false, cramping, false, less days, false! I had been on a previous "Birth control" and even that didn't make me feel any of this. Had I known, I would not have switched to Yaz. Yes true everyone reacts to them differently but trust me you want less of "our kind" around. You feel completely out of control, irritated, like you just wanna choke anyone who asks you a stupid question. I am definitely switching...I cannot take this anymore...at 34, I have enough to deal with as it is!

im 14,and my acne is just depressing.my parents even point it out and it just quite awful.i did a lot of creams and they just made me break out more and after a couple weeks i would stop taking them. i have even been called a pizza face before and i don't want be judged just because i have crap on my face. i would talk to mom about just popping a pill to get this off my face. but she knew that if i was on birth control that i might be thinking about actually having sex. but trust me i don't. so i went o the doctor and my parents finally gave in and let me take yaz. i am just about 5 days away from the white pills and i pick at my pimple and pop them just something i cant control. my dad has noticed a change.but im not sure i have. and i have read post and about having no sex drive but i don't if it is just my hormones or what but i have a sex drive and i am only 14. i am always tired during the day but wide awake at night so my sleep schedule is just messed up. i have a urge for chocolate and nothing else. i only 103 and my weight hasn't changed. my nipples are sooo sore. i might not be to far a long to know if this is a good pill for acne or not. but i am going to keep using it bc i have faith in it. i haven't had one headache but i do see stars when i get up. not sure what it is. thanks for reading;] wish me luck!

I started taking YAZ for PMDD two months ago and it has helped so much. It has seemed to mess with my menstrual cycle, though. The first month I took it my period started on the second day of the white pills, I had light spotting a couple of days before that and now I am on my 2nd month and I am on my third day of white pills and no period and no spotting.. no sign of period so far. I seems to be messing up my cycle... ugh!

Any thoughts anyone?!

I have just started taking Yaz 3 days ago and so far have not noticed any of the side effects mentioned, although I know that it usually takes a few months before the pills take full effect. What I have noticed since I began taking it, however, is that I have had the worst dry mouth ever. No amount of water seems to help, especially at night. I have never heard of this being a side effect of any birth control, so I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

I can't believe that I finally found the solution to my problem! I didn't know what was happening to me its like I am a whole different person.
My side effects:
mood swings
weight gain
decreased sex drive dramatically
depression
not caring about anyone
feeling like i am the biggest loser in the world
i cry at everything
I take the pill at night and it seems like night time is the worst time. I cry to my boyfriend about how I want more attention from him when he gives me the most attention ever lately. I cry about the stupidest things and he even said somethings wrong with you emotionally.
It's effecting our relationship because I been on Yaz for years and up until the last 2 months i been a complete nut case. I am a freaking psycho and hate everyone. I am so glad I found out what it was and I am stopping this and changing my birth control or just stopping it completely for a little while because I want my life back before I ruin it all.

I am a 25 year old female who at 24 had never had any experience with birth control other than a quick prescription to a generic hormone to take care of a long period at 16 (due to stress.) Only a few pills were taken and I was fine. Now, at 25 I have been on YAZ for a year. I began taking it because I became sexually active at 24. Why? Well, I was mature both mentally and physically. I have had friends who became sexually active at a young age and who started birth control young. The side effects were pretty dramatic. I had seen a slim friend gain a whole lot of water weight. She even said it was the patch and later monthly injection causing the problem but the side effect was well worth the pregnancy prevention. I was against the use of birth control due to my preconceived notion of horrible side effects. However, once the monogamous sexual activity began I knew that I needed to take something. I had heard about YAZ and knew that it was something new and different. A different hormone used for prevention. I researched the pill and looked into any side effects. The posts I found seemed a little too ridiculous. I decided to find actual accounts and spoke to a co-worker who had been using YAZ for awhile. In fact, the majority of females I know use the product with no problem. Thus, after my yearly checkup I requested YAZ. My gyno welcomed the suggestion and even gave me several packs for free. It’s been a year without a problem. However, this morning I was hounded by my mother because there is a warning and lawsuit against YAZ and YASMIN (seen by a commercial-lawsuit.) This is due to severe side effects and death associated with blood-clots (when presented with heart disease, diabetes, etc.) I am a healthy 25 year old that frequents the gym weekly. I do not smoke. I drink every now and then. NO SIDE EFFECTS. My period starts after the 3rd pill is taken. It is quick and simple. I enjoy being able to plan things around my period. Cramps are light compared to what I use to go through. I can take one Ibuprofen the day of the third non-active pill and not feel a thing. I use to have horrible leg cramps and now I have no problem. My pre-menstrual mood has improved and I think it is because my period is no longer a strong factor in my life. I use to dread it and now I welcome it. I do not have any skin issues, no bloating, and no weight gain. Heartburn occurrence which is slim to none is similar to what I would have had before YAZ. I was appalled to find this site and to discover that people are having problems. I do not understand why people are so quick to blame this pill on everything. It seems like a lot of users who are posting on this site are extremely young. The body is still growing and maturing at 18 and even into the early 20’s. In my late teens, I was extremely moody and stressed due to college, etc. Any hormonal regulation then would have probably put me overboard! I am going for my yearly check up next month and will discuss this lawsuit with my gyno. I am concerned about this lawsuit. More importantly, I am concerned that this pill will be taken off the market. Call me a statistic but I like YAZ and would recommend it.

I WISH I had done research on Yaz earlier!!!!! I have been taking it for probably the last 10 months. At that time, I moved to a new city with my fiancee, started a new job that I hate... and becoming more and more depressed and anxious. I blamed it all on life changes. It eventually got so bad that I would lock myself in a bathroom and cry, snap at my fiance for EVERYTHING, snap at my daughter.. I was just this horrible woman and I couldn't control it. I would see myself being SO unreasonable but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I really felt like I was going crazy. I started seeing a Psychiatrist a few months ago and he put me on Wellbutrin. It helped the depression but not the anxiety or moodiness. So, last week he put me on Lexapro.
Finally, I'm starting to put 2 and 2 together and seeing that all my issues started as soon as I started taking YAZ!!! Not to mention, I have been having horrible skin allergies since I started as well. I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner!
So now i'm off of Yaz and on 2 antidepressants, upset that I started something that I probably didn't need to, and don't really know how to get off them.
What really upsets me is that the doctors either don't make the connection or don't believe it. I am going back in in a couple of weeks to talk to my gyn about other birth control options...

I was on birth control for 17 years because I suffered from severe cramps and bleeding when I was a teenager. Two years ago I was so sick - extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea, severe constipation, severe depression, irritability, almost constant yeast infections and overall just felt very sick. I had gone to many doctors for many different testings and they all told me they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Some thought IBS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but nothing specific. I finally got to a point where I didn't want to live like this anymore and went to see a Holistic MD. He changed my life! The first thing he said was that I needed to come off the pill. Of course not wanting to ever have children - this was very scary to me. It took me about a year of talking to him about that that I finally decided to give it a try. OMG! I became a totally different person! Happy, full of energy, no fatigue at all, no more yeast infections, all my symptoms disappeared. It took about a year for the hormones to regulate because I had been on them for so long. I'm telling you all this because after being off of the pill for two years, I decided to try the ring which didn't work and then thought I'd try going back on the pill for my huge fear of pregnancy. Well, it's only been 3 weeks and all my symptoms are back in full force. I am miserable and will be taking myself back off. My quality of life is more important than anything else. The doctors don't tell you these things because they believe what that sales reps tell them who of course want to make a ton of money. As women we need to stand up and speak out so that is what I'm doing. My husband and I are researching other options but the pill is definitely not one of them.

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. :)

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 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 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 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!

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

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 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 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 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...?

I am a perfectly healthy, 24-year old young lady in excellent mental and physical health. I eat right, exercise regularly and I have no history of any health problems. In August of 2007 I started taking Yaz, it was prescribed by my gynecologist and I always got free samples, so I began taking it. In November of 2007 (almost 4-months after starting Yaz) I began having severely painful and scary gallbladder attacks. After multiple tests, I found out that at 22 years of age, my gallbladder was functioning at 0% and had to be removed immediately. I always thought that it was odd and my family did too because there is no history of gallbladder disease in my family at all and I was way too young and healthy to have my gallbladder fail. During the first few months of taking Yaz, I noticed that I was moody and tired beyond belief. I lost a few pounds though. For the first couple of months, my acne got worse, but then around the same time that I had my gallbladder removed, my acne started to improve pretty rapidly. A couple of months later I was diagnosed with IBS and have suffered digestive problems since.
I was in a relationship when I started taking Yaz and for no reason at all I lost all interest in sex and developed anxiety and an aversion to touch and in January of 2008 I broke things off with my boyfriend for no reason at all. In March of 2008 I started having severe anxiety and panic attacks. At times I even had thoughts of dying and thought that "at least I won't feel this way anymore."
To soothe those feelings I began drinking and partying and found that I felt better with the calming effects of alcohol. I drank at least 4 nights a week for about two months until I started gaining weight from the drinking. I don't have an addictive personality at all and so I just quit drinking cold turkey. It tasted horrible anyways.
In May 2008 I met the most wonderful man in the world, and yet, I was unable to ever really "feel" anything for him and I always felt emotionless and empty. My anxiety and panic attacks continued and I absolutely had no sex drive. We would have sex, but eventually my aversion to it took over and we began fighting for no reason at all and I became panicky and depressed again. In July 2008 I developed a severe allergic reaction to peanuts and had to be taken to the emergency room. I have never had any allergies and have enjoyed peanuts all throughout my life. In August of 2008 I developed an allergy to penicillin and broke out in hives. I had never been allergic to anything in my life, and all of a sudden, I had two allergies!!!
In September of 2008 my immune system went down the drain and I developed a severe and life-threatening MRSA infection. I was in and out of the emergency room for a week straight and didn't get better from it for over 3 weeks. The doctors thought I had to have some sort of AIDS or Cancer to be getting MRSA at such a young age....but all tests came back negative multiple times and they just shrugged me off as an exception to the rule.
In October of 2008 I got a severe intestinal infection called c. diff.
This took two weeks for me to get over and was absolutely horrible!!
What was happening to my body??
What was happening to my immune system??
In November I started having problems with my blood sugar and I always felt like I was on the verge of passing out unless I ate on a constant basis.
It was horrible!!!
By this time, my acne was gone, my periods were shorter...thanks Yaz.

But, I had
Migraines/Severe Headaches
Fluctuating Appetite with weird cravings for salty and sweet foods
Low Blood Sugar with light-headedness and weakness
Blurry Vision (even though my eye doctor has told me repeatedly that I have perfect vision)
Brain Fog
Severe Anxiety
Panic Attacks
Nervousness and Restlessness
Inability to pay attention
Moodiness/Snappiness
Depression
Long episodes of ataraxia where I just couldn't feel any kind of emotion
NO SEX DRIVE
An aversion to touch
Hot flashes
Body aches
Thinning hair
My gallbladder quit functioning
I had a very weak immune system
and I had developed allergies to things I had been in contact with all my life...
I had back aches and neck pains
And I had severe Insomnia in spite of the fact that I was exhausted all the time! And when I did sleep it was worth nothing....
In January of 2009 I quit my job and dumped my 'perfect' boyfriend.
In February I was unable to get a hold of any Yaz bc and therefore since I wasn't having sex, I skipped February. I felt better in February and never made any connection and so I got back on in March and since then I have never felt worse in my life!!!! I've been doing research on the effects that Yaz and other bc hormones have on our bodies and it is astonishing how much it can psychologically and physically damage our bodies. I have felt like I am going crazy and slowly dying for NO REASON AT ALL>
Yaz is a nightmare!!!
I have been off of it now for 2 days and even though I still have some of the same symptoms, I can slowly feel myself getting back to normal. I've been told that it can take up to 2-3 months to get bc completely out of your system and for your body to adjust so I'm coping and being hopeful.
During the last month or so, I have even considered taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications because my life is a nightmare, luckily I looked deeper into my situation and discovered the culprit b4 I put something else in my body...
Yaz is not worth it.
I will never recommend it to anyone.
The pharmaceutical companies don't give a crap about us!!!
They just want our money and don't give a shit what their chemicals do to our bodies!!!
When I have little girls of my own someday, I will never let them take b.c.
I have been letting all of my friends and family know.
I would love to participate in a class action suite or an anti-Yaz campaign....
Anything. If you know let me know because I don't ever want anyone to have to go through what I have gone through with Yaz.
Ladies....Please do significant research before you ever put anything into your bodies.

Ive been using YAZ for almost a year now and before reading all these side effects from other women I thought i was falling apart at the age of 24.

Since ive been on YAZ these symptoms have occurred:

Some weight gain, Eyesight from great to HORRIBLY nearsighted, discharge, periods sometimes are twice a month and is a brown gross color, migraines, terrible skin problems: like blisters on my face & neck that crust over and last for weeks, GI problems right before my period, Severe Fatigue, pussy blisters under my armpits, numbing in my fingers and toes, very itchy skin, random sex drives (for months there will be no sex drive then one month ill have a very high sex drive), very mild mood swings (but noticeable), and ive become allergic to deodorant & sulfa drugs.

Before using this BCP : i had great skin, perfect eyesight, athletic & energetic, normal periods, and was never allergic to anything.

Ive had so many doctors visits to try to figure out what was wrong.... i got allergy injections, antibiotics, surgery options...........but no doctor could really tell me what was causing it and its very frustrating to have so many things go wrong and no one can tell know why or how to fix it!. Anyways, im going to call my OB/GYN TOMORROW......

After not being on birth control for about 13 years due to previous complications, I decided to go on YAZ since theyre were SO many rave reviews. it was to clear up my skin, lessen my periods and make my chest a bit bigger... also to not get pregnant ;) after being on it for 7 months i FINALLY realized all the harm it was doin to my body. the reason why i started to look for answers was because i had ZERO sex drive which has *never* been the case for any reason. i found that it can be a side effect of the pill but when i started looking at other side effects of YAZ i just kept nodding my head and saying "so THATS why i my vision is getting worse... so THATS why im completely depressed all the time and don't want to go out like i use to... so THATS why im having horrible leg cramps at night and awful joint pain... so THATS why my period is heavier, longer and more painful... so THATS why i started getting horrendous MIGRAINES out of no where!!!" i would lie in bed all day, instead of doing my every day routines, i stopped talking to my friends, didn't want my bf near me and couldn't go to work when i had my period because the bleeding was uncontrollable. after being off of it for three days, my sex drive was back, i wanted to go out with my friends again and most of the joint pain stopped. i made the foolish choice to "wait it out and see what happens" but my doctor told me to stop taking them immediately when i told him of my symptoms. It took me far too long to come to this conclusion and if you are suffering from multiple side effects, just stop taking it as soon as possible and go from there. There is NO reason to have to live like this from a birth control pill. i made that mistake and hope others wont in the future.

After not being on birth control for about 13 years due to previous complications, I decided to go on YAZ since they're were SO many rave reviews. it was to clear up my skin, lessen my periods and make my chest a bit bigger... also to not get pregnant ;)

after being on it for 7 months i FINALLY realized all the harm it was doing to my body. the reason why i started to look for answers was because i had ZERO sex drive which has *never* been the case for any reason. i found that it can be a side effect of the pill but when i started looking at other side effects of YAZ i just kept nodding my head and saying "so THATS why i my vision is getting worse... so THATS why im completely depressed all the time and don't want to go out like i use to... so THATS why im having horrible leg cramps at night and awful joint pain... so THATS why my period is heavier, longer and more painful..."

i would lie in bed all day, instead of doing my every day routines, i stopped talking to my friends, didn't want my bf near me and couldn't go to work when i had my period because the bleeding was uncontrollable.

after being off of it for three days, my sex drive was back, i wanted to go out with my friends again and most of the joint pain stopped. i made the foolish choice to "wait it out and see what happens" but my doctor told me to stop taking them immediately when i told him of my symptoms. It took me far too long to come to this conclusion and if you are suffering from multiple side effects, just stop taking it as soon as possible and go from there.

There is NO reason to have to live like this from a birth control pill. i made that mistake and hope others wont in the future.

Oh my gosh! Let me be the five hundredth entry on here and let me as...why are doctors still prescribing this drug??? Yesterday was my LAST day on Yaz. I was only on it 4 days, seriously. I felt like I did not care about ANYTHING. I am usually a blast to be around for the most part....not now. It is Easter and I can''t get out of bed because I have been throwing up with accompanied diarrhea. I am so depressed I can't stand it and I nearly bit of my sister in laws head for NO REASON yesterday. This is NOT me and I am so discouraged that I will never get my flippin hormones sorted out since no birth control has ever worked for me. I am thinking about trying bio identical hormone replacement....any success stories? I am so tired of feeling this way. I can not believe it has only been four days.....worst four days of my life!!!

I am 44 have been on yaz for two years at first it was great all my symptoms went away acne, mood swing and lost 10 pounds in two months great, then last year i started different tired and gaining weight i had my blood work done and my thyroid was off the chart and my triglycerides were 267 my doctors said to eat better i have always worked out and ate right then about 5 months ago i started getting belly fat, and a month ago i got my blood work done again and my triglycerides were 300 and my thyroid is still high i went off the yaz after reading all the comments i figured it has to be the yaz i have been off of it for a week i feel really funny light headed jittery.

I started yaz 4 months ago. Everything was going great until this past month. I had no side affects, before this. I actually lost weight on Yaz. But this month, i seriously went out of my mind. I was anxious, depressed, and moody. I was so depressed last week that I was thinking of suicide. I cried myself to sleep every night for no reason.

I was at the end of my rope and then I found this site. Thank god I did. I stopped Yaz in the middle of my pack last wed. My doctor agreed it was the best course and I'm not kidding....less than 48 hours later I felt better. I'm happy....have had no signs of depression and feel so much better.

I also started having really bad stomach issues around the 4th month on this drug. I thought it was a virus. But it lasted almost the entire month. I even took a pregnancy test because I was panicking. Low and behold....48 hours off the drug and my stomach was almost fully back to normal. So, I have to say it HAD to be Yaz. There is no other possible explanation. I'm so frustrated because this is the 4th birth control brand I've tried and I've had horror stories on each one. I just feel like there is nothing out there for me....and that's seriously depressing.

This site helped me so much. Thank you for sharing your stories because I wasn't even thinking it could be the YAZ medication until I came here.

I urge anyone who is still taking Yaz at this time to IMMEDIATELY stop. Regardless of where you are in your cycle, just stop it and fight out the after effects of coming off it. Your body and mind will thank you ever so much in the years to come. I have been off Yaz for only 10 days, and am still feeling a bit up and down, as I assume it will take a few months for my body to regulate and get back to normal. It's such a frustrating thing, waiting to get back to normal, hoping, wishing, that everyday will get better and you'll be that much closer to being fully free from Yaz and the unbearable side effects. As women, we must take action against drugs like this, I wish that there was a way to get the word out more and more about this drug and other bc pills. Today I actually saw a commercial that was about 'saying no' to the pill, and freeing yourself from the 'pill'. The first commercial I have ever seen in promoting alternatives to the birth control pill, and emphasizing taking control of one's life by NOT taking the pill. There needs to be more and more ads and constant awareness out there about the effects of drugs like Yaz. Thank goodness for this site, even though reading these horrible experiences that you've all gone through on Yaz, it gives me hope and comfort to know that I am not alone, and that I and we, can get through this and return to the fabulous women we know we are!

I am telling the story of what has happened to my wife on YAZ....

My wife is a 23 year old female, previously in good health, 5'5", 120 lbs, and a non-smoker. In January 2008 she gave birth to our amazing daughter. She has rebounded back to the same shape as she was before birth. Well originally, she had the non-hormonal IUD implant for birth control. Her body rejected it and it had to be removed after about 2-3 months. After it being removed, the Doctor recommended she take this new birth control YAZ, because my wife had previous problems with hormonal birth controls.

Well, my wife started taking YAZ. Late summer 2008, my wife began complaining about feeling tired and weak all the time. She went to the doctor a few times about it and they could not determine the cause. Well, in December of 2008, while working her job as an EMT on an ambulance, my wife began feeling light headed and weak. They put her on the cardiac monitor and found her resting heart rate to be 160 BPM. They immediately rushed her to the ER.

The ER doctor immediately admitted my wife into the INTENSIVE CARE UNIT! After a couple days, they determined that she had micro pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs) that they believed were caused by YAZ. They informed her that they were a known side effect of YAZ. Well due to her heart trying so much harder to push the blood around the clots, he heart became weakend and began heart failure. Her Ejection Fraction was at 30%, which is about equal to a 70 year old in heart failure. A normal ejection fraction is 65%. The heart is a non-repairing muscle.

As a result of this condition, she was prevented from working by her doctor, she cant drive, and cannot be alone for fear that her heart will stop. Well, of course the FMLA has now run out (March 2009) and her work has informed her they don't intend on letting her come back and her Doctor will not allow her to go back. I am currently working overseas as a US Department of Defense security contractor just to try and make ends meet. Because of the current economy, I cant even come home to take care of my wife and daughter because we wont be able to afford to live.

I encourage everyone to avoid this medication. Please don't let your life get ruined by this birth control. My wife is 23, may need a heart transplant, or may die at anytime and I cant even come home to take care of her. This medication has ruined our lives.

Within my first 4 weeks of Yaz I had extreme thoughts of killing myself. I even came close to stepping out in front of a large bus on an avenue in my city. I called my gyno and she took me right off of it. It was my fourth birth control I've taken. I've tried Mircette since and had ZERO sex drive. Literally none (where as when I was on Lutera I actually became obsessed with sex and couldn't go a day without it). So now I'm on Femcon Fe. Hope it works well.

I have been reading these side effects for the past 2 nights and I am just livid... absolutely livid at the makers of this pill and the doctors who just hand it over (last year my former Ob gave me 3 sample boxes of it... a total of 6 months). Then when we complain the damn doctors won't listen... as if they know more about our bodies than we do!! What upsets me even more is the number of Ob's who are MEN.... who have NEVER taken a birth control pill and probably wouldn't wear a condom to save their life ... therefore they probably push their own wives into using this killer pill. Hmmm... sort of ironic that the one commercial used that song with the lyrics "Goodbye to you.... Goodbye to you oooo).
Women... I seriously urge you to report any doctor who has brushed you off to your state's medical board. You may think this is extreme... but it's what I did and the reason I did is because when complaints go here they are taken seriously. We must teach these doctors that it is not OK to give us the brush off when we need them.... and God only knows how many women are still being pushed into taking this pill. I work with a girl who takes it and even though I told her what happened to me she still takes it. Her doctor swears by it (of course HE does... He doesn't take the pill). It scares me because she has a 5 month old baby girl and I'm afraid of what that little girl would go through if she lost her mom. I feel that by logging complaints we can show doctors that it is imperative to pay better attention to us and hopefully we can not only improve health care but hopefully we can stop this abuse (I truly feel it's neglect on their part) and save more lives. How many women would be here today if their doctors had listened? It's time to involve the medical boards in this... I don't care how upset my former family doctor is with me I am so relieved that I did this... I feel that by using my voice I have been set free from keeping a terrible secret. Those of us who have survived the trauma of this pill should stand up for the women who have lost their lives (how scary to think that many more of us came closer to this than we realize). My next move is to research this lawsuit... I cannot wait until this pill is OFF THE MARKET!!!

I started taking YAZ about about 5 months. The biggest side effect I notice is SEVERE migraines 2 days before my period starts. I am a speech therapist and found it almost debilitating to try to work with my clients today because my head was pounding out of my head. I was also experiencing some blurry vision while driving (not good). On the bright side my adult acne has cleared up and periods have shortened by about 5 days. Regardless, I've decided that if something inflicts head pounding migraines then it is not worth it. I'm going to drop birth control for good as I haven't found any that I like at the age of 37.

Female 30, CA
Central Asian decent
I was on YAZ for a year, I just stopped taking it yesterday. While on Yaz I experienced the following: Sever anger, depression, fits of range, I hated everything, I'm a newlywed and could not figure out why all of sudden I hated life and took it all out on my hubby. Would pick fights with him for no reason, I experienced back lower back pain, went for several Chiro sessions and still have pain in my lumber area. Trouble breathing a times, tension in my shoulders and neck, nightmares. If I did sleep I woke up exhausted and tired and remained that way the whole day. I felt tired and drained all the time. I'm a healthy 30 year old I’m active and eat very healthy vegetarian diet, yet I put on 15 pounds and could not take it off.
Blurred vision and dizziness.

While I was on YAZ I could not figure out what was causing me to feel this way or what it could have been as I was not warned by my doctor and did not think that my birth control was the cause of it.
After doing some research and reading what other women had to say, I finally understood what it was, YAZ; which should be banned and the company sued. I called my doctor to tell her and she told me I should have told her sooner, I did not even know what it was, I trusted her "expert" guidance in putting me on it. I don’t think I will ever go on any meds without extensive research ever again. I strongly feel that Doctors push drugs on people for their own selfish and monetary reasons, pharmaceutical kick backs. While we the women are made to be their Guiney pigs in their experimental trials, lets prescribe and see what happens attitudes. I hope that I can reverse all this, I want to live and feel like myself again and learn to love life again.
I’m so upset with YAZ an Buyer that if anyone is a lawyer and willing to start a class lawsuit against Buyer and Yaz I sign up without a thought.

I cannot tell you that all of my issues were caused by YAZ but I can tell you that I am 34 years old and just released from the hospital. I am 5'9" 135lbs and have perfect blood pressure and cholesterol. I quit smoking last year. I was just released from the hospital with many little pulmonary embolisms and 3 large pulminary embolisms. I now have a filter in my vena cava and will never be able to have another child since I am so high risk per my doctors(both OBGYN and Internist).

I have been on YAZ since my last child was born 3 years ago. I noticed that the longer I was on it the more depressed I felt. The first year I wrote it off as just after baby blues since I was nursing but it did not get better. I was on other birth control pills in the past and also Nuvaring and I never experienced the depression that I had in the past 3 years. My sex drive was also not what it used to be which I attributed to age and stress. I would have migraine headaches frequently which my doctor said most likely was caused by stress. After reading the other posts maybe I was wrong. I can tell you, if anyone is smoking either stop or find another form of birth control. If you have family history of blood clotting you may want to explore other options also. I am lucky to be here today to care for my 3 kids.

I AM NOT CRAZY!!!!! I literally started crying once I read the first post. I started taking YAZ 6 months ago after giving birth to my third son. I cannot believe that I have finally found an answer to my insanity. I haven't taken my pill today and I will never take birth control ever again. I cannot believe that so many woman are having life threatening side effects and doctors are still prescribing this medication! I have had horrible mood swings, no sex drive, headaches, back and neck pain, fatigue, low energy, irritability, depression, crying spells, anxiety, pain whenever I do have sex, loss of hair, and hot flashes. I truly am elated to know that finally the clouds will soon disappear and I will see the sun again.