Yaz and doctors

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 am 30 yrs old, have been taking YAZ for a little less than one year. Loved it at first, my PMDD seemed a lot better, my skin cleared up. (I had adult acne) The decreased sex drive was immediate and after a couple of months I noticed the stomach pains, headaches, and extreme hunger in the mornings as well as shortness of breath and occasional dizziness. I even went to my regular doctor for an inhaler due to the shortness of breath. Since I started this pill to now I've gained a lot of "solid" weight that seems very hard to lose. I've gone from a size 4 to an 8. The only benefit has been that my skin is a lot clearer but as soon as I take the last pink pill in the pack my face breaks out again. This past month I've had horrible mood swings. My anxiety is worse than ever and I overreact to the smallest things. I can't stand myself and feel like a crazy person. While the thought of having acne again makes me very sad, I will no longer take YAZ.

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

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

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

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 have been on YAZ for 6 months and have had so many freaking side effects. How on earth these people think its okay to sell these drugs to people is freaking ridiculous. I have gone to various doctors since about a month after i started yaz, and every visit corresponded with a known symptom of yaz. i am so happy my boyfriend found this site. he's been so worried about the fact that i barely even wanna be kissed anymore and after learning about the reduced sex drives of like a thousand other people from yaz, it makes sense. i am soo pissed off that anyone would do this. i just quit taking the pill and hopefully everything will go back to normal.

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 using Yaz about two weeks ago because my sis had given me sample from her doctor months ago. Well 5 days ago I had to get taken from my home for having a severe panic attack. I thought I was truly dieing! And all I had been doing was watching tv. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me. Then I remember an incident I had months ago on her sample pack and it was a panic attack but not as severe. Millions of dollars wouldn't get me to put another in my mouth because just thinking of them last night sent me into another one and the same happened this more. They gave me anti-anxiety drugs for it but I will not be enslaved to them. I'm telling my doctors and everyone I know.

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!!!

Has anyone heard of a lawsuit that is being filed against the makers of Yaz? I used this pill last year and it was freaking awful (see my post on May 10, 2008). I am not the type to stay quiet when angry. I have made complaints about my former doctors who refused to listen to me about this pill. I sent complaints to the doctors, called the clinic's/hopital's patients advocates departments and I've also written complaints to the Missouri State Board of Healing Arts. It's not the doctors' faults that this pill is so terrible. However, I do think doctors need to realize that health care is a partnership between patient and doctor and need to listen to their patients' worries and concerns. Trust me, what I did was definitely a step in the right direction. Once my family doctor found out I reported him to the state and that I made a complaint to his office manager/patients advocacy administrator he called and left a message on my answering machine. He was so nervous and you could hear it in his voice, he couldn't even recite the phone number where he wanted me to reach him (I saved this message for entertainment purposes). Anyways, like I said before, if anyone knows of a lawsuit being filed I'd like to know. I'm going to go search for information now. Thanks!

Hi I have been taking Yaz since August of 2007. I never connected any of my symptoms with my bc until I recently saw an advertisement on TV for a lawyer who is filing a class action law suit. I then begin to research side effects of Yaz and everything made sense. For the past 1 and 1/2 years I have been to doctor after doctor trying to find out what is wrong with me. It started with fatigue, muscle aches, and a fever that wouldn't go away. I was tested for every disease and problem in the book and sent to doctor after doctor and they never could find out what was wrong with me. Shortly after that in September of 2007 I developed chronic hives that they also couldn't find a reason for. When I asked my dr. if the Yaz could be causing the hives and other problems I was told that it wasn't possible. So I continued to take the Yaz and suffer. I continued to have more and more medical problems. My hair began falling out, I became depressed and tired all the time. I have gained 20 pounds during the time I have been on Yaz. I am only 30 years old and I have always been very healthy and active and been able to maintain a healthy weight with diet and exercise but since being on Yaz it doesn't seem to matter how little I eat or how often I exercise I continue to gain weight. I have been very frustrated. I have had my thyroid tested numerous times because according to my doctors that is what the symptoms that I have been having seem to be but those tests were always negative. I even had doctors and people I know suggest that it's in my head. I just stopped taking the Yaz and I am hopeful that my life will go back to normal. I am now on medication to control the hives and I am hopeful that they will go away once I have been off the Yaz for awhile.

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 just quit YAZ. I too thought it was great at first. Raved about it. Not sure if it was working or if just the promise of the potential benefits that made me think that. I have a history of Lupus symptoms that I am only now tying together. I was feeling SO BAD that I started researching lupus and found that it can exasperate the symptoms. i was having heart palpitations lasting for nearly 20 minutes, shortness of breath doing small tasks, inability to take a deep breath, NON EXISTENT sex drive, SEVERE depression, and the last straw was the constipation/diarrhea cycle. i too had slurred, stuttered speach...but did not correlate the two until reading comments. my motor skills seemed to be effected. doing what i absolutely needed to do in a day was all i could manage. this may be a combination of factors coming into play, but there IS NO DOUBT that the timing of me starting this pill corresponded with the exasperation of these symptoms. i quit less than a month ago. hopefully things will improve. doctors need to take more precaution in perscribing this. my doctor was new to me and was quick to perscribe, no hesitation. i encourage you to insist on lots of tests before trying this. check your liver, kidney, potassium...be sure, then try at your own risk.

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.

I've only been on Yaz for about 1 week now. The following may seem strange, but I've been paying very close attention as my pmdd was so bad that my fiance was contemplating leaving me. What I experienced right away: more balance in my mood meaning that I nothing was too high or low, at the same time though in the mornings i woke up feeling depressed. High sex drive and two of the best orgasms I've ever experienced. Slight constant headache. Become teary at least once per day, but the thing is...these are feelings I used to just stuff... but now I am expressing them so it's actually a benefit. I asked him tonight,... "have you noticed a difference?" He said "Oh yeah". I'm laughing most of the time (he's really funny), i'm more light hearted and less serious! I'm more balanced in my thinking. I hate the headaches though.

I have been on Yaz for almost two years. The first year was convinced it was a miracle pill because all my PMDD symptoms disappeared. Since April of this year I have been walking up around 5 am and throwing up. I am on day six of my January pack and have had diarrhea or vomited in the morning. I know 100% I am not pregnant because I use the Yaz as directed and condoms. However I since bc convinces your body your pregnant I think I am experiencing morning sickness. I have talked to several doctors, a nurse, and a pharmacist about this issue and they all think it is highly unlikely I could be experiencing a side affect after having none for so long but I think they are wrong. I have a big training event a t work coming up in February and don't want to go off bc or start another because I'm scared of the PMDD getting bad. HELP!

I have been on Yaz for three months, first two were okay, not I totally feel prego, morning sickness, sore breasts, moodiness, weight gain, odd bowels. I tried to talk to my OB Tuesday and she got a page in the middle of my appt. Babies don't wait. She said to keep taking it she'd see me in month. AHHHH I can't do this, I totally broke down to my hubby last night and he said to stop it now. I have two beautiful girls, am 26, and am crazy!
Yaz has made me feel like my gestational diabetes is back, my head hurts often, I am cramping, lower back pain, irritably, want to sleep all the time, am short tempered with my kids....this is nuts!!!! Trying to get ahold of my doctor again, might just go back to my childhood family doctor. Good luck, I was on depo before my second child and had a horrible reaction to it too, even miscarried after I had been off of it for a year and still hadn't had a period. Birthcontrol stinks, I feel like I am poisoning my body, and why, so I don't have another baby. So I am experiancing, nausea, headache, stomach cramps, depression, crazy feelings, irritability, fatigue, sore breasts, decreased sex drive, morning sickness.
Good luck with your decisions.

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.

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!!!

Just food for thought, with any hormone that you take into your body you will have side effects and it will change your body. Not just Yaz, but all birth control. There are blood clot and stroke risks with all of it if you look up other brands. Best bet to not suffer is to not take any

Hey everyone. I just want people to be aware of how dangerous this drug is. I know there are people out there that can take this for years and nothing bad will happen to them and they love it, but just keep these things in mind before you start taking it. And keep it in mind if you are taking it now, things to watch out for. I am 25, healthy, I don't smoke and I just got out of the hospital from a pulmonary embolism caused by YAZ. I was there for a week and now have to be on blood thinners for a period of months to a year. I was lucky because if the clot would have been on the other side of everything it would've gone to my brain and I would've had a stroke. Not that it was all fun and games being in my lung. It caused 2 blood clots, one pretty big. I didn't have the classic symptoms of blood clots so the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I had a rapid heart rate (not too fast but faster than mine is usually, it was around 90-110 bpm), I got out of breath real quickly, I had pain in my neck which turned into a really bad pain in my back when I would breathe deeply. I didn't have the swollen legs which is a classic blood clot symptom. I just want to make sure people know what they are risking when they take this pill. They say there is a risk of blood clots and for women over the age of 35 to not smoke, etc. I would recommend just not taking this pill or any birth control at all, but if you do please don't smoke and please watch for these symptoms!!

Has anyone experienced hair loss due to taking Yaz?
I feel like I'm losing a lot more hair than normal these days. (I'm 34).
A ton of hair comes out after a shower, but quite a bit during the day as well. HELP!!!!

I posted for my 14 year old daughter a couple of weeks ago. I am happy to say that we stayed off of the YAZ after going to the hospital 2 times, sonograms, cat scans.... worried about spleen rupture ~ pains in the side, back, shoulder, throwing up THE WHOLE SHABANG! pretty much every side effect there is listed for this horrible drug she had. Well...turns out she had mono/epstein barr a couple of months ago so it kicked it up again after it was getting better. DOCTORS PA's....push push push meds. We need to be more informed about what we take into our bodies. MEN WOMEN CHILDREN just because they prescribe it doesn't mean we should take it. we are the guinnea pigs here. Yes there will probably be a law suit and it will like the patch be taken off of the market. But where will we be??
So my thought on this drug is that doctors need to be taking blood tests of a variety of things before saying ~ yes it is ok for you to take this. Because there are some (I say SOME) people who aren't as sick as others... some people drink booze so their liver will be elevated some people have dormet problems that will cause this pill to reek havoc on your system... everyone needs to get a grip on taking meds.... it is whats causing havoc on our bodies. we take all these pills. its crazy.

I am writing for my 14 year old daughter who was put on YAZ, not for birth control as she is not sexually active but for her mood disorder, which I believe is just being a teenager in general...but her therapist told her that it would help her moods, acne and that it even would help her loose weight! cant stand doctors at this point, have no faith in the system at all. I should have had her read this site because..... since day 2, severe stomach pains, throws up every day. shortness for breath ~ pains in her back and shoulder and down her arm like a heart attack. nose bleeds, headaches and OMG moods ~ cant even express the mood that she has been in for 3 weeks. so last week I take her to the doctor ~ of course a nurse practitioner sees her instead of the doctor that is not in. and asks my 14 year old if she would like prilosec or pepsid or zantac? asks a 14 year old and then offers her naperson and tells her that she should try these along with the YAZ. when I questioned the rational of keeping her on this drug she became defensive and said we should try it out for a couple of months. I allowed her to try this way for 2 days and then said nope no more pills. Just came home from the doctors office where they immediately took blood and is sending her for a sonogram to see if she has any cysts in her ovaries. I am just disgusted with the medical doctors who push pills and pharmaceuticals who don't give a damn but to make money. Will keep my eyes out for the lawsuits now. For camp refund for all the days she has missed for taking this horrible drug. hopefully she will not have any long term problems. will always think of this pill if she does.

I am 20 years old and have been on Yaz for a year now. Before the Yaz I was on OrthoTriCylcen Lo for 3 years and tried a few others that didn't do well for me at other times. My Gyno prescribed me Yaz because I had heavy bleeding and intense pain every time my period comes, and I have been known to be very moody. I have a past medical history of heart problems and GI problems. My Gyno said Yaz could also help the anxiety from those issues. The first month into the Yaz I noticed horrible nausea, I couldn't eat anything, major stomach pain, headaches, very lethargic, back pain, leg pain, and increased anxiety. I went back to my Gyno about a week later because my pain was so bad and my bleeding was heavier and MORE painful. She said to give it a few months so my body can adapt and everything will be better. She then said that my other side effects (like nausea and back pain and anxiety) were unrelated and I needed to see my primary care physician. My mom told me to stop using the Yaz, but I decided I wanted to keep trying it. So no I see my primary physician once a month because I am so "sick." I am on like 10,000 meds to try and help everything. Even he doesn't think it could be the Yaz. There are days where my pain levels are so high that I cannot sleep or get out of bed. I have had blood work, MRIs, Sonograms, Colonoscopys, Ultrasounds, etc.. I am so tired of this. At this point I feel like the doctors think i'm a hypochondriac. I have an apt to see my gyno again (for the 5th time), i'm printing out this page and showing her i'm not crazy!

WOW!!! I am so glad i decided to google Yaz. I actually stopped taking Yaz 3 days ago. Not because i felt i was having problems...but because i just no longer need birth control. Little did i know that it was the cause of a lot of my problems. I was diagnosed with Anxiety disorder at 18 and i am now 28. I stopped taking antidepressants about 2 years ago. I have been doing great! then i started taking Yaz...UH O! all of the sudden i was having mood swings, anxiety attacks, headaches, dizzy spells...ugh i thought i was loosing it! of course i related it to my anxiety disorder and fugured i just needed to get back on meds. Surprise, surprise my doctors said the same thing. I even asked "Could it be the new birth control i am on?"..DOc- "O no, Yaz is great ...no anxiety side effects"...
So of course i listen to my doctor and continue the pill. I got back on prozac (I really didn't want to) but what else could i do...i was going crazt and my doctors said YAZ had nothing to do with it...UM HELLO!!! did they research this drug?????? Obviously not..it says right on the website "May cause anxiety" UGH!!!
I just stopped the Pill 3 days ago and i am hoping that all these problems go away and i can eventually get off Prozac as well. THe only major problem i am having now is that i stopped the pill mid cycle and now i am having a really HEAVY period. i never had heavy periods before :(... I am hoping that this goes away and all goes back to normal...
CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THEY TOO HAD A VERY HEAVY PERIOD AFTER STOPPING YAZ?????????
AGAIN THIS IS NOT NORMAL FOR ME..NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH HEAVY PERIODS!

THANK YOU,

I HAVE BEEN ON YAZ FOR 3 MONTHS NOW, AT FIRST IT WAS OK LITTLE SIDE EFFECTS LACK OF CONCENTRATION, MOOD SWINGS ALWAYS MAD EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BOTHER ME BUT SINCE 3 WEEKS AGO I'VE EXPERIENCED A SEVERE CHANGE I STARTED FEELING SHORT OF BREATH, CHEST PAIN, HEAVY CHEST AND PROBLEMS BREATHING, FAST HEART PALPITATIONS, NUMBNESS IN MY FACE CHEEKS HANDS AND THE BOTTOM OF MY FEET. SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE IF I WANT TO PASS OUT, SO I WENT TO MY PRIMARY PHYSICIAN I HAD A CHEST X-RAY, EKG, LUNG SCAN(PERFURIN AND VENTILATION SCAN) AND A VENOUR DOPPLER ON MY LEGS AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST BLOOD TEST, EVERYTHING CAME BACK PERFECTLY NO CLOTS OR EMBOLISM, MY PRIMARY PHYSICIAN SAID I AM IN PERFECT CONDITION SHE ADVISE ME THAT WHEN I FEEL THIS WAY TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IT HAS PAST 3 WEEKS AND I STILL HAVE THE SHORTNESS OF BREATH, NUMBNESS, HEAVY CHEST, AND ALL MY DOCTOR SAYS IS GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM BUT IF SHE DID NOT FOUND ANYTHING WHY DOES SHE WANT ME TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM ANY WAYS I DON'T THINK THEY'LL FIND ANYTHING WRONG (WELL SHE DID NOT FOUND ANYTHING) BUT THE THING IS THAT SHE TOLD ME I COULD STILL KEEP ON TAKING THE YAZ PILLS. AFTER READING ALL THIS COMMENTS NOW I KNOW IT MIGHT BE THE YAZ BUT THERE IS ANOTHER ISSUE I HAVE HAD SEVERE DIZZINESS FOR 3 ALMOST 4 YEARS NOW I HAVE BEEN TAKING MECLIZINE 25MG FOR THE SEVERE DIZZINESS AND SINCE I STARTED YAZ THE SEVERE DIZZINESS DISAPPEARED I AM NOW SEVERE DIZZINESS FREE. SO I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO I AM WONDERING IF THE SHORT OF BREATH AND NUMBNESS IS GOING TO GO AWAY IS IT JUST THAT I HAVE TO ADJUST OR WHAT? AS I SAID I HAVE HAD FOR ALMOST 4 YEARS NOW SEVERE DIZZINESS( I GET REALLY REALLY BAD THAT I DO NOT KNOW WHATS WORST FOR ME NOW THE DIZZINESS OR THE SHORT OF BREATH AND NUMBNESS). I AM GOING TO MAKE A APPOINTMENT WITH MY OB TO SEE WHAT SHE THINKS. HAVE ANYONE OUT THERE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS I HAVE? WILL THE SHORTNESS OF BREATH AND NUMBNESS GO WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS? DO I HAVE TO GET ADJUST TO YAZ? PLEASE SOMEONE OUT THERE IF YOU HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO FEEL BETTER? SHOULD I JUST STOP THE YAZ PILL? THANKS AND SOMEONE PLEASE ADVISE ME

I'm so glad I found this site. I, too, thought I was going crazy! The first two months were ok on Yaz. Lost some water weight and my periods were light and short. As the months went on things got worse. Depression, anxiety heart palpitations that sent me to the Urgent Care Center, extreme fatigue, irritability, irrational mood swings, absolutely NO sex drive, neck and back pain and an increase in my acne. This has been 3 months and I can't stand it any more. It just amazes me that doctors still don't even consider that extra hormones in our bodies would not cause some of the horrible side affects we are experiencing. Good Luck to all.

I was on Ortho Low for about 2 years after my son was born then switched over to Yaz because of all the "wonderful" benefits that it claims to have. After 3 months of being on Yaz, I started to feel like my head was in a fog and I felt overwhelmed. At first I thought it was just stress from work and home life but then my vision started getting blurry and I had a hard time focusing on things. I have never felt like this before and it took me a while to realize that it was Yaz that was causing it. I called my OBGYN and she confirmed that all of my symptoms (blurry vision, mood swings, feeling overwhelmed, loss of appetite) were things that she had heard from other paitents who have tried Yaz. So no more Yaz for me. I think doctors should do a better job at warning patients of the side effects of new drugs.

My daughter was taking Yaz as a predecessor to going on Acutane for acne. After a couple months began having severe nausea and vomiting which we thought was due to the Acutane (it is known to have potentially powerful side effects) so we took her off of that treatment. The nausea and vomitting increased to the extent that she had MRI, sonogram, and ultimately colonoscopy and endoscopy to determine if there was cancer, etc. All tests were totally clean...so doctors said it must be in her head. She was also having significant mood swings and almost a paranoia. That is when I sat down and tracked back to as early as I could the initial slight nausea symptoms occurred. Determine it started at the same time as this BCP. Looked up the message boards and was horrified to see what young women were going through. I immediately told her to stop taking the drug. Within one week, my daughter could eat again and her spirits were lifted. Nice to have her back after thousands of dollars in medical tests. Very frustrating that the doctors, who knew her prescriptions, did not see the potential. Because of this and another prescription issue, I will severely consider whether I or anyone in my family will use the 'latest and greatest' drug. Will ask for what has been tried and true.

moody/depression, stomach pains, lack of energy, some weight gain, but lighter regular periods

Yaz has been driving me crazy. I keep having these mental break downs and before my period I hate myself and everyone around me and just walk around and cry to myself and stressing out. I've had times of extreme fatigue as well, but that may or may not be due to the pill. I lost weight first, then put some on and my chest grew, then gained again, but lost in my chest. There are other side effects that I also have a hard time to blame on Yaz, but even doctors have very little way of explaining them. It's a horrible roller coaster for me since I switched from Orthotricylen Lo in AUG2007. I am jealous of those who have had a successful experience with Yaz, however, I believe I am NOT one of them.