Yaz and hormones

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