Yaz and depression

I was put on Yaz because of my severe PMS. After nine days I started getting very strong symptoms, many the very symptoms I started taking Yaz for in the first place. It was too early in the cycle to be the "regular" PMS. Many of the symptoms I listed below I get regularly but not as strongly, and they have not been remotely this bad for years. I stopped taking Yaz after freaking out for 48 hours. I was told to stay on them for at least 3 months, as a trial, and I was really motivated because I really suffer from my PMS - almost every month I feel like I get into a depression - but there is no chance in the world I will continue taking that pill.
Tiredness
Sudden feelings of worthlessness
Sudden feelings of intense anger
Sudden feelings of anxiety
Sudden feelings of deep sadness
Tension head aches
Crying uncontrollably and for no obvious reason
Tension in jaws/clenching of teeth
Tension in shoulder/neck area
Feeling unable to cope with work
Feeling unable to communicate with anyone
Shortness of breath
Not able to sleep (though tired)
Very strong heart beat
Numbness in skin
Much lower energy
Eating extreme amounts of chocolate/cookies

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 have been on YAZ for about four months. It has been a horrible experience with me. I use to be a happy person. Now I am the totally opposite where it is effecting my relationship with my family as well as my boyfriend. To the point it is driving them crazy. The slightest things will make me snap or I would take things the wrong way. It started the second month taking it and I thought if I keep taking it my body would get use to the hormones. I was VERY wrong. It has been worse. Also my periods are still not regular as well or if I do have any at all, they are light which is the only PLUS for YAZ. I am also experiencing MAJOR weight gain, I have gain 20 pounds more than I was before I was on it and my eating habits and exercising habits have no change. After this last month of depression, moody, and just being tired all the time I have decided to make another doctors appointment to get switch off a YAZ. YAZ may work for some women but not all, so be aware to what it does to you as well the people around you.

I started taking YAZ in March. By July I had lost 3/4 of my hair. I had a two inch ponytale and now it is a half inch. I stopped the BC at the end of July but I don't know how long it will take to get the YAZ out of my system. I am exhausted all the time and have no sex drive. I thought my depression was from stress but I am reconsidering that after reading this site. I don't know if it is related but I have been bruising easily. I also have headaches that meds don't seem to touch.

I HAVE EXPERIENCED RESTLESSNESS, HYPERNESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, HEADACHES AND VISION PROBLEMS SINCE I STARTED ON THE YAZ, I WONDER IF IT IS THE MEDICATION OR JUST ME

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 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 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 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 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 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!!

I was prescribed Yaz for my PMDD. I have been on it 10 days now and have bled for the full 10 days.
I have had no energy, feel paranoid, and have very strong urges to commit suicide.
I am shaking, sweating, can't sleep and terrible nightmares.
I am crying for no reason.
I am so glad I found this site. I really thought I was losing my mind.
I'm going to the doctor in a little bit for a full explanation as to why I was not informed of these side effects?
He made it out to be the cure to so many years of PMDD.
I was excited to have finally found Yaz now I wish I had never started it.

I have been on YAZ for over 2 years now. The previous bc that I have used in the past were Ortho tri cyclin which was awful, I was close to severe, obvious depression and Yasmin in which I was fine with. For the first couple of months on YAZ I was extremely emotional. However, I felt as though my hormones regulated and was fine with the drug I'd say until the past year. This entire time I have been wondering why I have been...
1.) Hot flashes in my sleep (I'm 26).
2.) Always tired. ALWAYS.
3.) Lost my sex drive.
4.) Experiencing horrible headaches.
5.) Most upsetting to me, lack of interest in life,nothing makes me happy or excited.
6.) Knee and neck joint pain.
Normally I am easily excited and love life with no lack of energy.
I am happy to see that I am not the only one experiencing all of these symptoms. I have been wondering if this is linked to my bc and if I would be better off stopping.
My doctor on the other hand has told me, the past two times I've questioned her, I don't think you should stop your bc just keep on and see if it changes. Thanks for nothing doc.
Thanks to all of you I know I'm not falling apart.

Before I had my son I had been on Orth-TriCyclen off and on for about 4 years. My periods were always normal and when I went off the Pill it was so easy to become pregnant. After my son was born in Dec. 2007, my doctor recommended Yaz. I've had all the symptoms everybody here has talked about: anxiety, depression, weight gain, very high blood pressure, no sex drive, and just overall not feeling like myself. I just attributed it to post-partum and my body trying to readjust to not being pregnant. But the biggest fear, but secret relief, was the fact that I NEVER HAD A PERIOD!!! not once!!! I think I spotted twice in the course of a year. I would like to get pregnant again in June so I went off Yaz in January. It is March and still don't have a period - don't get me wrong it is kind of nice, but I am also very worried. My doc says its normal, and to just give it time, but I still feel worried that Yaz may have messed up my fertility and I may have a hard time getting pregnant again if I don't get my period back. I haven't received any good info about this - maybe someone else is in this situation -

I called my doctor today to get the go ahead to stop this pill. I have only been on it for 5 or 6 months. The last two months have been horrible. I have had piercing headaches bad enough that I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep; tired all the time; no energy; no sexual desire. I also had two months where 3 weeks into a month I had loose bowels. None of this is normal for me. I would almost say I bordered on depression. No spunk, no happiness... and I have a lot of reason to be happy in my life. This drug is nasty as described someone else here and by my daughter as well. If you are offered this say NO ! It is horrible

I am so thankful to have found this site! I notices the commercial on TV several times and began wondering what the deal was with my BCP. I now realize that I am not crazy! Other women are experiencing this too. I have been on YAZ for about 3 yrs and at first di not notice any difference. The past year and a half have been a different story. I have gained about 15-20 lbs. and can not get it off. I am more hungry than usual but I am tired ALL the time. I began getting severe cramps before my period, which I never had before and more recently have been getting migraines before my period as well. I have NO sex drive what so ever and I am as dry as a desert also! I have had terrible mood swings to the point where I can not control my anger. I know that i should not get so upset, but I can't help but get irritated over such insignificant things. I also experience some depression and catch myself crying at nothing. None of this is typical for me and I have thought I was falling apart. I am tired of feeling fat, swollen, angry, sad, having headaches, cramps and not being attracted to my fiance anymore! I am not taking this horrible pill anymore starting today!!! I have taken myself off in the past and my face became very oily and my hair would even get oily before the day was even up. That side effect caused me to start taking it again. I'm going to just deal with it now!

YAZ changed my life. And not in a good way. I'm now 40 yrs old. I've been on BC since age 16 and only OFF BC to have two children. I had NEVER had any problems with BC, and it helped me with my Endometriosis. I was switched to yaz about 1 1/2 years ago to help with some depression/acne. I was told it had the same side effects as my OrthoLo. So I took it. My skin looked great. I felt better emotionally in the beginning, but physically I started having trouble. It started with little things. I had no sex drive, I was tired all the time. Slowly I started getting infections that would take FOREVER to go away. (mostly sinus) I felt like I had the flu all the time, I had fevers for no reason and was achy and irritable. I then started to become anxious for no reason, I wasn't sleeping well and was becoming more and more exhausted. I saw my doctor and they tested my thyroid...no problem. Then after a few months, I saw my doctor after having bad pain in my side/neck/back and she gave me pain pills and muscle relaxers. I got better slowly...but never felt the same after that. I never had energy. Nobody knew they were BLOOD CLOTS in my lungs. It was a YEAR later when I went back with the exact same pain/symptoms and was sent home with the same meds. I knew it was something more. I saw another doctor that did more tests, then went to the ER and was sent home with pneumonia and pleurisy. 4 Days later I went to the ER and was admitted with MASSIVE PE's. I spent 1 week in the hospital and after a week at home I had a mini-stroke and my 3rd visit to the ER. Since the stroke I have had 2 seizures. I can't drive, my life has changed so much. I can't do everything I used to, can't function the way I used to and all of it is from YAZ!! I may have to be on Warfarin for LIFE. It all depends on how much scar tissue I have from the blood clots. I tell everyone I talk to NOT to take YAZ for any reason. It's NASTY, NASTY stuff...posing as a BC pill like the others. Of course...NOW they have changed thier commercials to be more descriptive. But I'll join any class action suit!! Just contact me.

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 had been on Yaz for almost 4 years, until I quit taking it almost 8 weeks ago. Let me tell you what I regained from not using this drug anymore. I have first and foremost regained my sanity, I've never been happier. I have a sense of humor again. The depression is gone. Secondly, I have regained my sex drive. Along with that I have also regained vaginal fluid again with sexual arousal. My breast size has increased slightly and my skin has feeling again. My rashes have went away, my hair is no longer falling out in clumps, my skin is smoother without facial redness or irritation. My blood pressure has lowered. Let me say this again, my blood pressure has lowered. This I think is most important! No more migraines. No more panic attacks. No more diarrhea, no more bloating til I thought my stomach would explode. I no longer have lower back pain, the pain was so bad at times I'ld have to go to the ER to get shots of anti- inflammatory drugs. Back pain is gone! Hooray. I will NEVER TAKE YAZ again. I will never recommend it to anyone.

I love yaz. Its corrected my depression, gave me my independence back, and gives me shorter lighter periods - which used to be a week to a week and a half long and forget about tampons, I went through a maxi every hour. No more depression, balances me out. Keeps my weight nice and low, I cant say one thing bad about it. Femcon on the other hand can blow me. Im switching back to the yaz tomorrow.

I have been on other birth controls, and more recently have been off for 8 months. Not trying to get pregnant, just sick of the side effects of my other pills (generics). Doc gave me yaz, I didn't take it until now, 5 months after prescribed. I have been taking it for 7 days, and I feel like crap. I thought my back pain was from sleeping wrong and sitting at a computer, but you guys have it too. I didn't have a BM for the first 5 days, and when I did it was painful and smelled like someone died (completely unlike me). I feel like I don't want to do anything fun. I have gone to bed by 9 every night and have no interest in doing anything else. Even thinking about my Sunday plans, which are normally fun and exciting, all I want to do is lay in bed.

This pill is whack, and I'm going off it immediately. I would rather get pregnant or be stuck using icky condoms again than deal with this crap. Thank you everyone else for sharing. I hope someone else eyes get opened like mine just were.

I just finished my first and now ONLY month of Yaz yesterday. After reading these boards I have found I am not crazy! Since taking yaz I have had more breakout, hair thinning, leg cramps, SEVERE constant headaches, abdominal pain, neck pain, back pain, no period at all, VERY low sex drive, exhaustion, blurred vision, very hard to drive also, anxiety, rage, depression, dizziness. Thats just off the top of my head!

I was put on this because I had abnormal uterine bleeding which had actually started to stop the day I was given yaz. But, I feel this pill will kill me before it will help me! I refuse to take it! Beware!

i am 17 years old and i have been on birth control for over 2 years,,
for the first 6 months i was on Yasmin && then my doctor wanted me to have a less hormonal birth control and switched me to yaz the only side affect was little weight gain...
i have depression but i never considered that it would be a cause of my birth control.
sometimes it gets bad... but my doctor said it was just an imbalance of serotonin in my body
my mom is extremely scared b.c she doesn't want me to have the dangerous side affects that she has recently been hearing about Yasmin... but are yaz and Yasmin the same?
i have been becoming increasingly worried about the birth control im on now.. i want to have children when i grow up. but after hearing that death could be a result of the birth control im on... im only 17 im just a kid...
im extremely scared now... although i haven't had any of the side affect i have read here.. im still extremely nervous especially since i have been on the drug for so long...

just found out
that the birth control im on could cause

* Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
* Pulmonary embolism (PE)
* Stroke
* Heart attack
* Death
* High blood pressure
* Heart disease
* High cholesterol
* Overweight
* Liver cancer
* Gallbladder problems
* Diabetes

is this true? could i really die?... im terrified right now

i started taking yaz in June because ive tried almost every other birth control pill, and patch and my mood and depression seemed to be only when i was on one of these. I wanted to go on that mirana IUD however my doctor told me i shouldn't because i have not had kids, im not married and im only 19 however it seemed anything i tried gave me the same side effects. So they put me on YAZ instead, at first it was great shorter periods, little to no cramps, but now 5 months and i hate it. I live with my boyfriend now and when before my sex drive was high I have ABSOLUTELY NO SEX DRIVE LEFT AND IM ONLY 19, WHAT HAPPENED TO IT. And whats worse my moodiness has come back for example at the store today i lost it and started crying when they didn't have the coat i wanted to buy. I couldn't control myself i completely lost it. i don't know what to do with myself anymore. My emotions are worse then ever before i want them to put me on something that has no hormones my body cant take it. can anyone give me any suggestions.

I started taking yaz last summer about 3 months before i got married. sex drive went down the toilet. absolutely none whatsoever. it also caused depression. and even caused me to get a syndrome that is terrible and marriage threatening! my periods were shorter which was nice. but i got more acne than before. weight gain was probably 5-10lbs in the 4 mos i took it. i would not recommend for anyone to take this pill!
it was absolutely terrible.

I have been on Yaz for over a year now and it has been wonderful! I began taking Yaz because I was having extremely heavy periods with unusually heavy bleeding and debilitating cramps. My periods would last for over a week! Now that I am taking Yaz, my periods last 4-5 days, are "normal" flow, and my cramping is much more manageable. It has also cleared up my (admittedly light) acne, and I have even lost some weight. My energy levels have been normal, and I have not experienced any of the depression or headaches that others on this board have had. I would recommend this pill to women in situations like mine. I am now able to have a normal week during my period without having to worry about missing days of work or classes because of my cramps.

I too have had a very bad experience with Yaz. I've actually started a website several months ago to help other women and girls with side effects from this very dangerous drug. I've been off of Yaz for eight months now and I am still suffering from the awful side effects. I pray that one day I will feel normal again. Thank you for all of your stories and very good luck with all of you.

Yaz Forum

My daughter started taking YAZ birth control August 2007 and was starting her second year of college. Everything in her life was going well, she loved her choice of college, had a wonderful boyfriend, was excited to live in her sororiety house, had wonderful friends, and was always one of the most focused individuals I knew. She was home for the Thanksgiving holiday and the night before I was to drive her back to school, she broke down at the kitchen table and said she can't pretend anymore, that she is not happy and doesn't know what is wrong with her. I took her to the doctor and she was treated with Effexor for depression. After 4 weeks there was no change, she fell into a deeper depression and they doubled her dose of Effexor. Still no change. I started looking on the internet and found that one of the side effects of Yaz was depression. I told her to immediately stop taking it. Two days after she stopped the pill we had an appointment with a psychiatrist. I told him that this was the first day I saw some improvement and that I thought it was related to her stopping YAZ. He disregarded my statement and didn't feel that was the case. He didn't like Effexor because he said that it was "a bear to get off of". He titrated her dose down by half and introduced Wellbutrin into her system. Two days later she overdosed on pills. She couldn't bear how bad she felt. I remember it like it was yesterday, she stood in the corner of the hosital and cried, "How did I get to this point, how did this happen to me?" I knew then that it was the pills. After her release from the hosital they handed her a prescription for Lexipro. I was advised by ALL of the PROFESSIONALS that she needed to take this antidepressent because she will definitely have a relapse.

My daughter chose NOT to take any more medications. We both KNOW that it was the YAZ that started the depression and the other antidepressents just put her over the edge. It took several months to get her life back together. We pursued counselling to make sure she was equipped with good coping skills for stress before attempting to go back to school. She missed 5 weeks of school and we knew that she had alot of catching up to do and the counselling helped her get through.

It has now been almost 1 year since that incident and she is back to her old self again. NO MORE BIRTH CONTROL AND NO MORE ANTIDEPRESSANTS. I'm not against any of these medications, however, I don't feel that health care professionals equip these young girls with enough information about side effects. Depression is listed way down on the list of side effects. If her gyn would have warned her that depression was a side effect, we may have never gone down that dark frightening road and if the psychiatrist would have taken into consideration that it could have been the birth control pill things could have been different. I also work for 4 pediatricians and none of them were aware that birth control can cause depression. I am now noticing that there are mother's calling our office because their daughters are depressed and as I am looking at their charts, I see they are on birth control. I have to wonder how widespread is this epidemic and how many young woman may have been diagnosed with clinical depression when the cause could be birth control. I know that at my daughters last well visit she was asked if she was taking any medication and she said no, she didn't realize that the pill was medication. Professionals need to be more specific when asking teenagers and yound adults questions.

I hope that this helps someone else out there to understand what could be causing their depression.

I wanted to update people since my last post. I have taken YAZ for a month now, and at first I had some killer side effects. I hate the bouts of depression, extreme anger, cramping, breakthrough bleeding, etc. Now, all my side effects have gone away, and I'm the same old mean. I suggest those of you having problems SEEK medical advice from your doctor. Don't rely on the internet (this is what causes us, myself included, to panic) everyone is different. Everyone reacts differently, especially if you are starting on a hormone. Go with what your gut tells you, not what the internet tells you. If you feel that you shouldn't take it, stop immediately, but I suggest you give it a little try and a little longer to see if your symptoms go away. If they do not, then YAZ is not the right choice for you. :) Good luck ladies

Almost everyone is affected differently by different types of birth control pills. They are not all the same, please talk with your doctor about what is best for you. Sometimes is DOES take a few tries with different pills to find the best one for YOU.
This is my personal experience with Yaz... I have been on it for 1 year and 1 month exactly. I am 22. I was on Ortho-Cyclen (not tri-cyclen mind you) for a full year previous to Yaz. My periods without birth control were usually very heavy and lasted a week plus a day or two without birth control. My doctor suggested birth control to help with those problem. Ortho-Cyclen helped somewhat shortening my periods to about 5-6 days and made them a "normal-like" flow. After taking it for a year, she suggested Yaz to me help make them even shorter and lighter. Well I switched immediately after the last pill of my Ortho-Cyclen and things proceeded very nicely since I had already been using a method to regulate my cycle.
Yaz has helped me tremendously, my periods are only 3-4 days now and much lighter. I start them after 2 days of placebo and usually have a little bleeding into the first 2 active pills of my next pack.
The only side effects I have noticed are;
1) Weight gain: (I have gained about 8 lbs on this pill) and I even get more exercise than I used to when I was on Ortho-Cyclen. I eat healthy as well.
2) Breast tenderness: I have more noticeable breast tenderness while taking this pill. (But it is not every single day)
3) Cramps: I get cramps now on the first day of bleeding, but they are well taken care of with an aspirin or ibuprofen.
4) Slight depression: I cannot directly link this to Yaz as I am not a professional. However, I do find that a week to a few days before my pill period, there may be a day or two when I find myself crying over some nonsensical thing. (I never noticed this with Ortho-Cyclen.)

Another thing I have noticed though, and it's pretty nice, while I have gained a little weight on this pill, I do not get bloating before/during my period as I used to before I started using birth control pills. And yes, I used to get bloated using Ortho-Cyclen. So I can say that I have to thank Yaz for this "desired effect."
Also, I never suffered from any bad acne problems before using birth control, just the occasional breakout before getting my period, and Yaz actually did away with even that little issue.

Don't take Yaz! My girlfriend has a cousin who was taking YAZ! She was doing great until one day she had to be rushed to the hospital! She had severe bleeding in her brain and also a blood clot that no surgeon would agree to operate on. Since she had to be on medications she had to stop all other meds, except Yaz! She kept getting sick and having severe issues that seemed life threatening! The doctors said she could go any day! And she is in her early 30's. Finally she just stopped taking Yaz! It has been a few months since she stopped taking Yaz the nightmare drug! Knock on wood she is now about 80% better. She ihas a lawyer and is in the process of suing! Please post here if you have heard of similar situations caused by YAZ! The product while it helps some people with the cramps, and a few other things, is not good!!!

I am so glad to have found this site. I really thought that I was losing my mind. I have been taking YAZ for almost 16 months. The first couple of months took adjustments which I gave to taking the new pill. Then I started to get mean. I have almost lost my best friend over this stupid pill. I wanted to hurt people. I became mean and very temperamental. I have never in my life been that way. I am a very kind, loving person. I enjoy people and being with others. I was suddenly closing myself off from the world and didn't want to see anyone or even talk to anyone.
I have been off the pill for a month due to having uterine ablasion and OH MY, what a difference. I am back to me. I am back to enjoying my husband and my children and all my friends again.
This medication really needs to be removed from the market. If someone were to take this who already had a battle with depression, the end results could be catastrophic. My sister's in law's were both on this same bc pill, and when I started to question, they have all the same symptoms that I have been having.
Why does the FDA allow this drug?

I started taking Yaz only 6 days ago and I started getting headaches and some nausea. This subsided by day 4 or 5. By about day 5 I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster. I have been sobbing and feeling deeply depressed. I was sent home from work today (day 6 on Yaz) because of my "unexplainable" sobbing and lack of emotional control. Not only is this behavior completely unlike me, it was embarrassing. I have never suffered from depression, nor does it run in my family. Judging from this experience, I would not recommend this Birth Control pill to ANYONE, it is harmful and toxic to your body.

I've heard nothing but good things about Yaz. The commercials make it look like a DREAM drug......one I truly needed. I'm 34 and getting married for the second time. My PMDD has become horrible. I started YAZ 7 days ago because I didn't want to be on my period for my honeymoon but mostly because I wanted to be a normal woman. I have 1 good week out of the month. I'm so tired of the mood swings and everything that is associated with PMS/PMDD. Well after day one I was horribly nauseated just like I was when I was pregnant. That has been daily. My stomach felt very"anxious" like I was nervous all the time and that is NOT me at all. It never dawned on me it could be the YAZ I thought it was nerves because of the upcoming wedding. I felt depression that I hadn't felt in a while since getting engaged. And it was almost a "hopelessness". Last night when I was driving home from work, day 6, I started coughing for no reason. I haven't been sick at all. It was like I couldn't quit. My left chest area was on fire and radiated to my back. I finally started thinking what in the world could this be so I got online and researched side effects of Yaz and boy am I glad I did. It blows my mind at the poor women who have either suffered threw a blood clot, or have died from it and ALL the other side effects I see on here that are just like mine. I'm so glad that I found this because today the Yaz went in the garbage. I refuse to take it anymore. I was worried all night I had a blood clot in my lung that I could barely sleep. I don't think anyone is aware of these problems associated with this medication. I hope they recall it soon!

I took YAZ for 9 months. Within those 9 months I have noticed that my mood was completely different from my mood when I was on Loestro 24. By the end of 9 months I was depressed, worried about everything (especially right before my period) crying all the time, and down right crazy! I don't have PMDD, and I don't think it is good to take this pill unless you know that you have it. This pill emotionally made me crazy and caused me a lot of depression which is something that I am not used to. I switched back to Loestro24.. and felt 1000 times better the next month, my only issues with that pill is that after a long period of time of taking this pill, I get acne all over my legs, which is weird. I recently tried to switch to Femcon FE... and that was terrible, I was really sick from that pill. I don't know that birth control pills are the answer, they all have some kind of weird side effects, but I do know that I would not recommend YAZ to anyone who doesn't want to cry every month. This pill made me crazy!

I took YAZ for 2 weeks and for the first week i felt kind a drunk and experienced mood swings,crying ,fatigue,dizziness,migraines.intense anxiety,panic attacks and depression and severe Acne on my face and back. I decided to get off Yaz 3 days ago. I am still experiencing many of these symptoms,and yesterday while shopping I got really panicky and turned pail and dizzy thought i was going to pass out :( that sick feeling to my stomach.Today I got my period 1 week early. I used this drug in hopes to help my PMDD,but instead it magnified everything i had 10x worse. Im confused??? I called the doctor and she said you aren't even supposed to start getting symptoms of side effects for three months of being on the pill??

I started taking Yaz 2 years ago after my son was born. I didn't have any side effects for a long time and was generally happy with the pill. About a year after being on Yaz I started getting horrible anxiety and depression. It was really beginning to interfere with my life. I always felt on edge, my heart was constantly racing, I felt down, starting binge eating, etc. I also started noticing that my blood sugar was out of wack. I became hypoglycemic and had to eat little snacks every hour to keep myself from having my blood sugar drop too low. I sometimes even had to take a glucose tablet. My thoughts were always racing. I felt like I was going crazy. After going to my PCP and a psychiatrist and not getting any relief from the way I was feeling, I took it upon myself to stop taking Yaz to see if that made a difference. Well, since stopping Yaz my anxiety, depression, and hypoglycemia has completely disappeared. I feel happy again, normal and healthy. I have gained a few pounds and my skin is an oily mess, but I would much rather deal with that than the hell I was dealing with before. I'm not big on taking medicine unless I absolutely have to and this experience has only made me feel stronger about that. I think I will go back to using condoms and give my body a break. (forever)

I have just recently began taking Yaz and am starting to experience side effects. I am in my third week, and am having a lot of anxiety, heart palpitations, mild headaches and shortness of breath. Sometimes I feel dizzy and I take them at night so that I do not experience the nausea that I know comes along with bc pills. I am on them because of my hormones being out of whack but I think I would almost rather deal with that than all of these symptoms. I think it's time to contact my OB/GYN and get off of these things...

i have been on yaz for about 1 month now. i am a little scared to start my next pack. i have been feeling a little depressed and not much like myself. i figure i'm just in a rut right now. could it be from the pill? i feel tired and sad a lot. i go to the gym everyday and normally i'm pretty active. i just don't feel like me. i have tried the ring, loestrein, and the patch in the past and all of them gave me nausea and weight gain. so far i don't think i've gained any weight and i don't feel sick but the depression has got me curious. if anyone has experienced this please let me know. i don't know if i should stop the pill or not.

I can't tell you how happy I am that I Googled this. Reading all of your posts is helping me determine what's going on with me! I started Yaz about 3 months ago and lately I have had no desire to do anything. Nothing has excited me at all. My mood swings have been just awful and the fatigue has taken such a toll on me. I am only going to be 30 in a couple of weeks and I just can't get a hold of what makes me happy anymore. I haven't had any suicidal thoughts but the feeling of absolute anger and depression has gotten a hold of my entire life. I used to be so happy. Everything made me laugh. Nothing has that effect on me anymore and I hate that. Since this pill has settled into my body I have been a completely different person. Reading everything all of you have posted has made me realize this pill is killing my happiness. Looks like I'll be calling my gyno tomorrow. I thank you for all of your posts, as you've helped me see what needs to be done.

I started taking YAZ about a year ago. The first three months especially I noticed that I could cry and wanted to cry about everything from the phone ringing to dropping a paperclip. I screamed at my then bf for hours about everything and nothing. I snapped at everything, I couldn't control anything. After three months when my body slightly adjusted other side effects took over. I had vision blurriness randomly, migraines almost every three days that overtook my life and barely went away with sever migraine meds, appetite off the charts, depression, face heaviness when sleeping which was incredibly painful, numbness in my extremities.. its been a nightmare. I got off for a few months because I wanted to be free of it, and i was. Unfortunately because of my medical condition I need to be on b/c for life. I started taking it again and have been on it for several weeks and ALL of the side effects are back with a vengeance including crazy acne and bloating. Someone shoot me. I hate this drug.

I am 39 and just stopped taking YAZ after being on it for only 1 month. My side effects include: hair loss, panic attacks, numbing in my arms and feet, depression, no energy, severe headaches and pain in my chest. I went to my internist and had a CT SCAN performed to make sure that I did not have any blood clots. My test came back clear. I am just amazed at how many of us are out there and experiencing the same things. We need to raise our concerns to the FDA for sure, since this drug seems to cause many more side effects than what it was prescribed for. For me, I was taking it to stave off my endometriosis. After this experience, I am going to go for a more holistic approach including acupuncture, since I have heard it does wonders for PMDD, Endo, and heavy periods. I wish everyone the best with their health.

I had terrible side effects with Yaz....I literally thought I had a deathly disease. It took 6 weeks to feel normal again. Get off of it if you are suspicious....there are other forms of birth control.

Add me to the list of people who will never take this crap again. 38 years old, never been on birth control. My obgyn sang this pills praises about how it will help with my mood swings and severr cramps due to severe pms. The headaches were awful, by boobs doubled in size, I gained 4lbs in 1 week, moodiness, feelings of being out of control, depression worsened, felt crazy, angry, short tempered. Memory loss, my speech was affected. I'm normally a very decisive, direct communicator and I couldn't find words to complete a sentence. My short term memory was shot. I think I will stick with a few beers to get through my pms. This stuff was not worth it.

I was on YAZ for only 7 days before I felt suddenly and completely crazy! On the Yasmin site there are several women complaining about YAZ side effects and asking if anyone is interested in starting a lawsuit. I feel there is enough severity and consistency in the complaints to start one. I don't believe a medication should be on the market that causes so many so much distress. If I could just save one women and her family from what we've gone through I would be willing to put quite a bit effort into it. Please respond to me or one of the women on the Yasmin site if you too think your suffering was enough that no one else should have to go through it. I read the side effects very carefully as I always do but I don't remember any that warned you may lose emotional stability. I had no history of such severe, or unmanageable anxiety, depression... . Please help us take this drug off the market, Imagine how many other women are suffering but either not looking on this site or stopping to share their stories.

Wow. I thought I was going crazy. I have PMDD and go through my 'psychotic' periods the week and a half before my period starts. I had the worst one ever last/this month. I don't think I have experienced anything this bad before. I started YAZ at the beginning of May. I tried Apri before and it caused me to have my period for 18 days, followed by 7 days of brown gunky blood and then my period for 15 days. On YAZ, my period lasted 11 days. I normally have a 5-8 day period which is very heavy. It was not as heavy, but it lasted longer with intermittent days of the brown gunky blood. I have also been experiencing more frequent panic attacks and depression. My stomach has been upset and my head has been hurting constantly. I am used to getting migraines, but not normal headaches. I have also experienced dizziness. One think I did not attribute to the YAZ is the change in my vision. But I read in a prior post that someone has had an issue with that also.

I have had the above symptoms because of other ailments, but they were basically gone, until I started the YAZ.

After having a semi-break down yesterday which included 3 separate occasions of rage, suicidal thoughts, and crying jags, I have decided that one of my medications is at fault. I thought at first that it was the Klonopin that I started taking April 1st. This confused me because, after initially taking the Klonopin, I had a follow up with doc after two weeks and it was working great. I then got on Yaz around April 20th. In the last month, I have had increasing mood swings, horrible depression, complete exhaustion, inability to focus on anything, stomach aches, heart palpitations, soar throat, coughing, and my back has been killing me. The worst is the depression and bouts of rage. I was all set to blame it on the Klonopin until I read this site. Well, I'm going to axe the Yaz first and see if things improve. It makes sense though, I been feeling like I did in the worst time of pregnancy.

I have been on yaz for about 5 or 6 months now and it was great at first since coming off low estrine, I was havening serious side effects, but starting yaz it was awesome for the first few months now i have huge waves of nausea, constipation, back ache, some headaches, EXTREME mood swings, and depression*, bloating, my breast are always sore, i have gone up a cup size, my boyfriend cant stand to be around me! i have no drive any more, im just tired and my stomach hurts all the time i still have bad cramps, even though i have no acene any more and i have light periods all these problems are making me feel worried that i am pregnant all the time even though i take bc like i should i still don't trust bc so we still wear condoms, so i no that im not. i thought i had everything wrong with me,i have gone to several doc. but they found nothing i have IBS also so suposably my stomach was hurting from that. i know when my IBS has kicked in and thoughts pains were not it. but all these post i keep reading have really brought light to this pill. everyone i know thinks im going crazy and i know i am. i have never complained so much in my life about how bad i feel and its on a daily basis for me now! im going to stop at the end of this month hopefully ill feel ten times better then i have been. i want my old self back!!! im so glad i took the time to find out about my bc and its side effects and all the post i have read about this horrible pill. it feels great knowing im not the only one!