Yaz and hormones

i just wanted to let you know tha I am a RN. I have been on YAZ for 3 months only. In this time frame, I have had severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and back pain. I at first blamed it on the hormones but now attribute it to bad side effects from YAZ. I have already had my Gallbladder out when I was 18 yrs old (side effect of BC pills). Anyway, my doctor just sent me for an upper GI and small bowel follow through....but, I think that it is all related to YAZ. The MD thinks I am just being a "know it all" nurse, but I have research this med. I have lost 12# in 3 months (bonus), lol....but I am sick of being sick...my husband thinks I am a big complainer, but its real and it hurts. I would have been in the ER also, but being a nurse, I am a little more stubborn to go to the hospital. I did go one night because the pain was sooo bad but the wait was 3 hrs and I vomited 3 times while waiting, The pain was now tolerable so I left! I have 5 days left of YAZ, I was going to try to last out the rest of the pack, but after getting severe pain, again, tonight....after eating soup only all day and throwing it up...I am DONE WITH YAZ. I am stopping cold turkey...the body will regulate itself. I want to feel better. I hope once this stuff clears my body, I will feel better once again! Good luck!

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

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

Any thoughts anyone?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Has anyone else had problems with their hair?

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

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

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

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 haven't really had severe side effects yet. I have only been on yaz for 3 months. But so far i have the fallowing side effects: Head aches i have been taking advil like its candy. Mood swings, pain while intercourse, abdominal pain, and decreased/zero sex drive. I am already a hypocondriac (sp) so i figured i am making it up. But who would make up not wanting to have sex. lol i will give it a few more months to level my hormones and maybe i will be ok.

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.

OMG!! This is insane, I thought I was going crazy, I started YAZ about 2 weeks ago, I usually try to maintain healthy and workout a lot, but in 2 weeks i gained like 10 lbs out of nowhere!!! I am freaking out! I completely lost sex drive and as well as other said completely dry, nothing can make me wet, I also notice that I started getting a really heavy discharge everyday, Oh and depression (mood swings, snap at everything I feel like I don't want to live anymore, I don't care for my job as I used to or school...I feel helpless) I stopped YAZ 2 days ago and so far i haven't notice any change...I am still very moody and SSSOOOO tired, I can sleep all day and all night with no problem and when I do try to get up is like a magnet that's keeping me in bed, its awful!!! When does it get better???? Anybody knows??? I am falling apart!!! HELP PLEASE!!!

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.

I started Yaz November 2007 since my periods were heavy and I had really bad cramps. I am a medical student and I was starting my surgery rotation so I thought I couldn't deal with the cramps during surgery, so that is why I started. It seemed great at first I had no appetite, my weight has been stable. I read a lot of different books saying hormones shouldn't be taken since it isn't natural and it will cause weight gain etc. One thing for sure is that the distribution of my fat has changed, now I have more belly weight (like the other person who mentioned the yaz roll), more weight in my arms and a little more in my breasts and less in my legs. I have been contemplating for a long time if I should stop taking it also because I am someone with A LOT of scalp hair and I noticed that I lost A LOT of it while on Yaz (but could it also be from the stress of medical school?). My life has been crazy, my father died in September. I cant differentiate if I am crazy/sad/moody bc of my life circumstances or bc of the pill because sometimes I do feel like I am over reacting. I wonder too if I stop the pill if my fat will redistribute again. I am so unsure what to do. I have also noticed that I cannot wear contacts for a long time, sometimes I get debilitating headaches where I cant even lift my head.

YAZ BELLY!! anyone else got it? I have been on this pill for 9 months now & about to switch back to ortho novum product. Within the first mth of Yaz I developed a very round (almost menopausal or pregnant shape) lower belly. It has increased over the past 8 months to a ridiculous size that no pants fit but go figure....no weight gain for 7 months. How does ones shape change that much with no weight gain?? I actually am diligent on diet & workout 3 - 6 days a week. Have looked the same for 2 years til Yaz. Now I have to size up due to the belly & rollover. Also past 3 months I started to experience ovary pain that has become significantly worse. Ob/gyn brushed off my issues at first & passed me on to GI. I have had every stomach test & all good! Remarkable they say! So back to GI to switch this week. The only plus of this pill has been a much improved complexion & actually unlike the rest of you...increased sex drive. All I want to know is I am the only one with Yaz shape belly??

i was taking yaz for about 1-2 years. it was great - my moodiness subsided, lighter periods, no cramps, and it made my acne go away. i noticed that the longer i was on yaz, the more frequent my migraines became (4-5 per month). i didn't realize it at first because i have always gotten migraines (3 per month) since i was a child and i would always attribute the migraines to either stress or stormy weather. with the increase in migraines, i started trying various migraine medications, including zomig and maxalt combined with an alleve. however, i recently switched to nuvaring because my doctor said my blood pressure increased and i was placed on a low dosage of a beta blocker. nuvaring has a lower dosage of hormones and was recommended to me. i used nuvaring for 2 months and then stopped because i had problems with it slipping out. tired of trying differed birth control methods, i simply asked to go back on the yaz. this is when it dawned on me. the entire time i was using the nuvaring, i barely had any migraines (maybe 1 or 2 over 2 months compared to the usual 3-4 per month). i've been back on the yaz for 2 months now and i am having a migraine EVERY week and they last about 2-3 days long. i'm seeing my doc ASAP and getting of this pill immediately. i'm tired of the migraines interrupting my life. they completely immobilize me. i also noticed it completely got rid of any sex drive i have.

somebody help! the first year on yaz was great but then started the HORRIBLE panic attacks. they never ended. i was in bed for 3 months straight literally only went to the bathroom and lost like 25 pounds. im 5 10 and weigh 107. i had severe depression, my hair was falling out, diagnosed with panic disorder, and POTS. my blood pressure would drop to 50/20 every time i stood up. all this NEVER happened before. my eyes are so dry i cant wear contacts. i have derealization/depersonalization. it soo scary. im only 20 and feel like a 60 year old. i am always tired. i can sleep at any given time. i have trouble staying awake on the road. i have been on 4 anti depressants and klonopin. i never had anxiety in my life before. i think i am going crazy everyday. i don't know what to do anymore. i finally stopped taking yaz 3 weeks ago and slightly better but still not even close to what i was a couple years ago. how could they put this pill on the market? this is absolutely horrible.

I am 41 and have been taking Yaz for about 6 months. My skin is much clearer and that is nice, but on the other hand I have had a continuous headache for two weeks now. Just in case, I took meds for a sinus infection but the headache has stayed... so now I am being treated for migraines. The problem is: the meds for migraines don't work. I am wondering now if it is the Yaz. When I first started taking it I got headaches at the beginning of each new packet, but now it's non-stop. After reading some of these posts, I am worried that coming off it will also have side effects, but it can't be anything (I hope) like the pain and fatigue associated with a long, drawn out headache. I am deeply scared that this headache will turn into a stroke or a tumor or something.

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 am 33 years old and have tried numerous forms of birth control. I have been taking yaz for 9 months and just decided to stop taking it after my last cycle. I have tried birth control pills before, but I really think the side effects were worse with this pill. I had absolutely NO sex drive and felt very apathetic and listliss all the time. I described to my husband that I felt "empty" inside. I was mildly depressed and experienced a great amount of anxiety. The only good thing was the light periods and I had great skin! I have since decided to try the nuvaring, but I am having some of the same problems with that one too. My doctor suggested it since it doesn't have to go through the liver like pills do, but it still sends these hormones into your blood stream. If you have problems with hormonal birth control methods, I highly suggest trying the copper iud or other non hormonal forms of control. The only bad thing about the copper iud was the heavy periods. I have also tried the mirena iud and didn't seem to experience as severe of emotional symptoms with that one, since it only contains progesterone. But for the first several months after you have it inserted you have a constant light bleeding. Plus it caused acne problems, which I never had to worry about before. But I would take those side effects over the emotional roller coaster I was on when taking the pill.

I have taken my 15th tablet this morning.

I already knew i was sensitive to new products, and if a small percentage of people have side effects, I'm likely to be one of them.

I browsed through the potential side effects on a my fact sheet and then put the paper away and focused on the positive effects i was looking forward to. I was keen for improvements of any sort!

Well here i am on day 15 and had to start googling to see if it is my imagination or something else.

I commend those women who stick it out for 3 months, but i just can't risk waiting around for an improvement or for it to settle.
I can handle the mid nausea that comes and goes, even the breast swelling, which has been quite extreme. I got a rash -acne like - on my face, initially my face became abnormally greasy too- like i had olive oil on my face! But the following is just not on. i can cope with physical issues, but not mental ones.

1. Moods- Depression and irritability - what a change- I am angry, nasty -want to leave my husband, say mean things to my young children. Don't care about my kids. No warmth. Feel overwhelmed by usual tasks like housework. Feel really negative about everything in my life. Feel sorry for myself for anything that is not positive or terrific. Don't feel motivated, don't care. Resent things that normally i would just go ahead and do.

Foggy brain- can't think clearly

My husband has clinical depression so this is not helpful- two of us being self centred can't work.

Anxiety- unbelievable. I'm like another person- I allow irrational negative thoughts take over. Each day is different, some worse than others.
I've been tempted even a week ago to ask for anti-depressants for anxiety and depression when i saw my doctor for something else. i thought I was going mad.

Fatigue,- some days i just don't want to do anything.

Sleep- a couple of unexplained nights of insomnia and really negative stressful dreams.

Probably other symptoms.

Everything described is an extreme and unbearable change in me, and this effect took place probably with 24 or 48 hours (I didn't keep a diary unfortunately, but the symptoms began almost immediately.

I wish it was a good experience but i am not willing to wait and see what my mental health will be like in a month or two. Not with young kids who need a mum. I just took a herbal laxative to hopefully flush out the Yaz I took this morning. No more for me.

Hi ladies! I started Yaz in June 08 after taking Ortho-Tricylcen-Lo for 6 years (It wasn't treating my cramps or mood swings anymore). The first month was bad. I had mood swings, breast tenderness, lower back pain, anxiety, weight loss, and no sex drive. I didn't attribute this to the pill, I associated it with a very, very emotional and difficult experience that was currently occurring in my life. By the second month, I put 2 and 2 together, and realized it was Yaz. I am a pharmacist, so I am well aware of the types, mechanisms, and incidence of these side effects. I knew that these side effects usually disappear with time after the body adjusts to a new/different form of progestin. By the third month, all of the side effects had subsided, except for the inability to gert aroused, which is very unusual for me! It wasn't so much the lack of interest, but the lack of physical arousal ("getting wet"). I almost got off the pill just because of that, but I decided to tough it out just to see what happens. By the fourth month everything is back to normal and I feel great. I lost a little weight, my breasts don't get swollen and tender during the third week (like a tricyclic pill), a don't have unusual mood swings, and my period is average in length and heaviness. It was a bumpy road, but that is to be expected when you mess with the body's natural balance. It takes time to recalibrate hormones, during which time you will not feel yourself! Weird stuff will happen! I think Yaz is a good drug and patients should stick with it for at least 5 months ( or at the digression of your physician of course), unless you experience a side effect that alerts you to a serious problem (severe leg cramps, difficulty breathing, or suicidal ideation). As for the fact of it being "new and unstudied", that's not completely true. Yasmin is a higher dose of the same drugs as Yaz and it has been around practically forever. This is an excellent forum, but don't be scared off or expect a cure-all from a low dose hormone. Good luck!

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 was prescribed Brazvia (sp) and wasn't too satisfied with it, and was then prescribed Yaz.I'm 20 years old and I'm only on my second week and I can feel the effects. I have ZERO energy. I am always tired and moody and my sex-drive is non-existent. I feel myself craving food more often than I should. My hormones are through the roof. I cry over everything and anything, and I have no temper. I have basically turned into a crazy person since beginning the pills. I will continue for another month just to finish the two packs I have, and if nothing changed I'm returning to Brazvia which is bliss compared to Yaz.n

I threw the crap out after 9 days. Forget it. I went on for acne (too soon to know if it helped) but the side effects were worse than the acne. I was hungry all the time.- Not just hungry, but like I was starving! Couldn't sleep, yet tired all day long. Already big boobs got even bigger and constant headache. I've had a headache for 9 days straight. I took my last pill yesterday morning. Now I hope this leaves my system ASAP without permanently screwing me up! How frustrating. I will never artificially alter my hormones again.

Hello everyone..
I've been on YAZ for about a week now. My MD prescribed it because of my hormonal fluctuations before my period cause me to get a nasty yeast infection EVERY MONTH! ugh... The purpose was to stabilize my hormones (he wanted me to skip the placebo pills and only have a period once every three months). The first few days that I took this I felt okay. I noticed heart palpitations the second or third day that are still present. Yesterday I started noticing memory problems (little things like not being able to remember if I flushed the toilet or closed the garage door, followed by obsessive thoughts of needing to check on every little thing). I've also been more tired than normal since day 3 or 4. Today I'm almost a week into the pills and I had trouble sleeping last night and woke up this morning with EXTREME moodiness and a headache. I cried for 3 hours this morning for no reason and totally went off on my husband when he called me during his lunch break - the first REAL fight we have had in almost a year!!!! I also started spotting yesterday with cramps and today it's heavier. I'm not due for a period for at least 2 more weeks. I called my GYN and told him I would no longer be taking these pills. I'll happily deal with monthly yeast infections over feeling like a crazy woman. I haven't felt like this since I was diagnosed with post partem depression 3 years ago (which has been completely gone for at least 2 years - cured by 4 months of zoloft). You all know your bodies and yes we respond to things differently, but there's no need to put yourselves through this.. My advice to other women - if you are sensitive to your hormonal fluctuations, don't try YAZ!

i have been on Yaz for almost two months and i am stopping this pill after i finish this pack. at first i thought it was great, but did not consider that the reason i got a severe bacterial pneumonia, as that it might have to do with this pill. when i read from the makers of Yaz itself that a number of trial patients came down with a URI and that it may or may not be the result of the pill, it started adding up.

so i got through that and now i am still dealing with nausea that lasts all day some days. i am also having some stomach cramping and my stools have recently been very dark, which is unusual.

i don't feel that it is helping my PMS. My first period was lighter, but the kind of cramping it caused was different and still very painful for me.

i just don't get a good feeling about this one and don't like the idea that it affects your kidneys processing of potassium to the point where you have to get your blood checked for elevated levels.

also, i had a certain amount of cellulite that seemed to appear within a short amount of time. i don't like this at all. i didn't have that before. i had a little, but now it is like doubled.

i am also having dizzy spells and blurred vision and since i have fibro, i have noticed that i am in more pain lately.

so goodbye to Yaz. no more BC for me. this just motivated me to try and balance my hormones doing everything i can naturally.

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

This is by far the worst pill I have ever taken. Before Yaz I was on Nordette, Ortho Tri cyclen and Alesse. I saw the commercials and got sucked into trying this pill. All I can say is proceed with caution. I ended up taking this pill for the unhappiness 8 months of my entire life. I had problems with other pills causing weight gain (Nordette, Ortho Tri cyclen) or acne (Alesse). However, those symptoms are mild compared to what Yaz inflicted on me.

I have always been described as happy go lucky and Yaz gave me extreme moodiness, panic attacks about my future and life, and major depression. I did have the best skin of my life and lost about 5 lbs but I was an emotional MESS! I would cry at the drop of a hat and find fault in everyone and everything. This symptom didn't start right away but each month I was on Yaz got worse. My friends coined my "alter ego" "she devil." I almost felt possessed at times on this pill. I finally realized it was the pill and not life causing these problems when 3 of my girlfriends had the same problems and got off and the problems went away.

Prior to having this experience I thought people tried to blame too much on the pill but my experience showed me just how much these can mess with your body. I switched back to Alesse 5 days ago and it's like I am a different person--even my skeptical boyfriend noticed the change. As for the acne, I am going to go to a dermatologist to address that. I will be happy to have a few zits as opposed to being a crazy woman.

Proceed with caution on this pill and watch your moods carefully. Just because you've been on it for a few months doesn't mean you're safe. The majority of my emotional disorder started about 5 months in. I do have some girlfriends that like this but most have found it to bring out "she devil".

I've been on various BCP for almost 10 years now (was diagnosed with dysmenorrhea and menoragia). The last year and a half have been on Yaz. I've had extreme fatigue (to the point where I was thinking I had fibromyalgia or CFS) for almost that entire 10 years. My blood tests always came back perfectly fine (no anemia, no thyroid problems; which at that point doctors did not want to deal with me any more and would try to through it off as depression). I've also almost constantly had stomach pain, not severe, but nagging and am nausiated most of the time.

My doctor switched me to Yaz in order to help stop the hormonal migraines, terrible mood swings, and increasingly bad periods (bleeding and cramp wise), and dizziness (that had come on within the past 2 months) that the Mircette was giving me. At first I felt relief (mostly in the dizziness, mood swings and migraines, but not from the fatigue or stomach aches). Increasingly though the migraines have progressed to where I now get them for 2-3 days before my period and 2-3 days after my period. Skipping the period does nothing because 2 days after starting a new pack I get a migraine (my doctor tells me that all the pills are the same except the last few, but it has happened multiple times now, so something must be different).

After a conversation I had with a friend who noticed that her fatigue would lift while she was menstruating and said that her doctor had said that this was because of the break in hormones (and not having put two in two together that those were the only times I wasn't fatigued either), I've decided that I have had it with birth control pills and am going to see if my older body will now work without them. I recommend to anyone who does not need birth control pills for a severe medical condition to NOT use them. They mess up your body.

I started taking Yaz 3 weeks ago and I am feeling very sick, this headache wont go away ,stomach pain that's constant and dizziness and diarrhea I did not have this pain before, it just started when I started taking Yaz I should have research this Birth Control before I started taking it .Does anyone know how long it takes for this Birth control to be out of your system.

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.

So I've been on Yaz for over 4 months now. I'm 23 years old and have never had bc before (don't need it) My GYN put me on this pill to prevent another ovarian cyst rupture. (i was hospitalized in Dec because i had a 4cm cyst on my ovary that filled with blood and ruptured. Very painful!!) so like i said, i am taking this to prevent that again since Yaz stops ovulation.

The first month was pretty rough. (like i expected) Extreme mood swings, very tender breasts, headaches, slight nausea, and my preiod was a week and a half late then lasted for 16 days and was VERY heavy.

Onto month 2: Same mood swings, breasts still extremely tender, reduced amount of headaches and my period came on the 3 placebo day and was VERY light this time lasting only a day and a half.

Month 3: No more mood swings, breasts no longer tender although bigger in size, Extreme nausea but only lasted for 4 days, and this time my period was more normal ( lasting about 5 days and not too heavy or light).

On my 4th month, things seem to be normal. GYN says i lost some weight from Yaz even though it has made me feel bloated so i thought i had gained weight. Weird. But my period seems to be on a timed clock now coming every 3rd placebo.

So like the GYN's tell you, It takes up to 3 months for your body to get used to the hormones being added to your body. Expect some side effects for a while. Everyone is different but for me the side effects diminished after the 3rd month. Hope this helps. :D