Yaz and medication

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

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

I have only been taking Yaz for a week, but noticed the negative side-effects almost immediately. I am on a steady regimen of anti-depressants and couldn’t understand the sudden on set of mood-swings (extreme anger, irritability, sadness, lack of interest, flat-mood, etc.). Also, I have been very fatigued (wanting to sleep 14-16 hours a day).

I am contacting my physician in the morning, but doubt I will continue taking this medication.

I do not recommend Yaz to any woman currently taking prescription anti-depressants.

I have been on Yaz for 3 years. I am now 39- I took it to help with Pre menstrual tension and moodiness, and mild acne. I have done nothing but shed like a DOG since I have been on it, I have no sex drive, I have gained 5 pounds, which is a lot since I am only 5ft.4 in. I just found out the real kicker... I have signs of kidney disease now, high creatinine levels, and can only link it to the use of YAZ. There is a class action law suit forming against Bayer Co., and anyone using this should check it out. They are talking about the possible RECALL of this medicine, and I would hate to think of any young girls out there ending up with kidney damage like me. Please be informed before you continue to take it.

I am 27 years old and have been on YAZ for about 1 year now. I never struggled with acne, long periods, cramps, etc and was simply trying a new form of BC. From my understanding YAZ was suppose to control mood swings but instead gave me horrible MOOD SWINGS. I would be good for a few days, then the next mad, and the next wanting to cry. I started thinking maybe I was depressed or maybe reacting to being stressed but this has gone on for far too long. I don't have the desire for sex as I did before I started taking YAZ and my boyfriend thinks I am crazy. It took me to see a commercial for a law firm in regards to yaz side effects to look up more information concerning the medication when I came across tons of responses from others that have experienced these same effects as I have if not worse. I done as of NOW. This has done nothing but made me a complete train wreck for the past year. I also read that the pill can cause upper respiratory infections/cough and I have had two bouts of Respiratory infections coming out of no where. No cold or allergies at all....Just hoarse and coughing. Please do your research on these pills

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

I was diagnosed with PCOS after having its symptoms for 10 years.. For a couple of years those symptoms gradually started to get worse - hirsutism (hair around the mouth, on the chin, around the nipples), and the adult acne that wasn't going away despite any medication. And i started becoming really depressed because of that.
The ultrasound and blood tests confirmed the PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and the extremely high levels of testosterone in the blood (result of pcos). I also had abnormal period - sometimes missing a month, sometimes having it 2-3 times a month. The physician told me that it was bleeding and that I'm not ovulating. She prescribed me Yaz - said it's the lowest-dosage bc pill, said it will lower my testosterone, raise estrogen, get me rid of excess hair and acne.
After a week of Yaz, i started feeling even more depressed than usual - started having nightmares, feeling very tired most of the time. Today was the end of the second week, and I am stopping taking Yaz, for good. Yesterday, I could hardly walk a mile - so extremely tired I felt. This morning - could hardly walk to the second floor. And, all day, felt extremely vulnerable, weak, and very very depressed: I started crying just looking at the gray sky, and couldn't stop. I barely got home, because I felt extreme fatigue, and burst into tears, blaming everyone around on how unhappy I am. Now I know, it's the Yaz talking... I am 26, and I am stopping this pill NOW. For my PCOS, I'm hoping to get better results with alternative herbal treatment and acupuncture.

morning sickness, heavy tiredness with heavy sleep, periods with brown discharge and dark pink brown urine, stomach heaviness why

I'm 21 and I've taken Yaz for 7weeks. During the first 2weeks I took it at lunch time - within hours I'd feel nauseous. I changed when I took it to before I went to sleep - this seemed to work with the nausea which eventually completely subsided.

I had spotting for the first packet but after my first period on YAZ the spotting stopped.

By the time I started the second packet I became aware that my sex drive had plummeted and I no longer was initiating sex with my boyfriend. I also noticed that I was thirsty a lot more & craved sugary drinks like soda/pop which I never shopped for until YAZ.

I've also gained 6pounds.

The strangest side effect I experienced was a heightened sense of smell, for example - I cannot tolerate the smell of steak cooking - it makes me ill.

On the positive side- My skin has improved.

When my period is approaching I am no longer angry or overly emotional.

Prior to taking YAZ I would have severe menstrual cramping the day before the period began and three days following (at least). I had to take pain killers like panadine fort but for the first time I needed no medication and I only had cramping for day one. A huge improvement!

The biggest plus for me with YAZ was the decrease in the length of my period - it went from 7-9Day to 4days max.

If I gain more weight & it if it gets to the point where I reject my boyfriend when he wants to be intimate then I'll stop YAZ but at the moment the positives I’ve experienced are just too valuable to consider stopping.

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.

BTW just wanted to point out that most people turn up this page on a search because they are having negative side effects. Therefore, most people who post are having similar bad side effects, and this is where blog postings tend to get biased because people who are having success on the drug are not blogging about it. I just think that all the 14-16 year old girls who are now on BC should have access to unbiased information and in no case should be encouraged to stop a medication and "fight the effects of coming off" without consulting their doctor first. No offense to 'emhatesyaz' intended.

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

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

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.

I was on YAZ for only six months and decided to stop taking it because I had absolutely NO sex drive!!! I have been off YAZ for about a year and I still have ZERO interest in sex. This is horrible!!! I don't know what to do.

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

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

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

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

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 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 been on Yaz for about two years. I stopped at one point, because it makes me miserable, but wasn't menstruating after six months (and definitely not pregnant) so my doctor convinced me the Yaz would make me better. Who knows - maybe it just takes more than six months for the 'brain fog" side effect to go away, but I agreed to go back on it. I exercise daily, and I've always been a healthy eater and still am during the day, but after this pill I just want to shove junk food in my face all night or anytime something is stressing me. On Yaz, the wind blowing the wrong way can stress me. Still exercising, but gluttonous, I've gained 20 lbs. I don't remember what having a sex drive feels like, and I've lost all ability to be a patient and upbeat person. I have a B12 deficiency from the pill, and possibly vitamin D as well...the D is fun, because occasionally the joints in my feet and hands swell up, eliminating my ability to function normally, and I get hives. Thanks, Bayer!!

Ok-let me just say that I am so happy that I have found this website and so many other people out there with negative symptoms as a result from taking Yaz. (I WORK FOR AN OB/GYN!) When I was young, I was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia (EXTREMELY TIRED) that was related to heavy bleeding - the treatment: birth control.The doctor I work for recommends Yaz as "the best pill out there." So, trusting his opinion, I started taking Yaz around 2 years ago. In the beginning, I guess I really didn't notice any new symptoms. But, it seems like the longer I am on Yaz (I am taking no other medication) the worse my symptoms get. I started noticing symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: alternating constipation and diarrhea, abdominal distention, gas, and soft stools. Lately, my symptoms resemble both IBS and Celiac Disease - which is very scary to me. I've been researching IBS, Celiac Disease, and Lactose Intolerance; while trying to change my lifestyle and diet to try and make my symptoms better - according to the treatment to these illnesses.
Not to mention, I am ALWAYS tired. I've had my hemoglobin checked and am no longer anemic, so where is the fatigue coming from? I could sleep at any time, any place. I have muscle pain that comes and goes and a seriously decreased libido. What?! I have pain with intercourse and feel horrible trying to explain these symptoms to my boyfriend. It wasn't until I read the symptoms (listed on the Yaz website) that included an abnormal reading in pap smears! How can a doctor prescribe this?
It wasn't until recently that I thought my symptoms could be linked to Yaz. I have a yearly appointment with a new OB/GYN in a couple of days and will definitely let her know of my symptoms and will most likely change to a different oral contraceptive.

I am a sophomore college student who just withdrew from college because of the side effects of depression and anxiety. Yaz is a horrible medication to be on and I would not recommend it to anyone. I am still experiencing the side effects and it is the worst feeling in the world. I used to be a strong, independent person who knew what I wanted out of life and loved it. After taking yaz for about 8 months I feel like I am going crazy, I am so confused, lonely, and scared to be alone because I don’t know how bad my depression might get. There has not been a night in a long time that I have not cried, sometimes even for no reason. Like I said I have taken a semester off from college in hopes to transfer closer to home because the side effects are that serious. If you're not on yaz don't take it, if you are watch for these symptoms because this is a dangerous product.

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!

Our 45 yr old daughter has been on Yaz for 2
months and had a MASSIVE STROKE last Mon.
She doesn't smoke, drink, and weighs 112 lbs.
Her blood pressure and cholesterol levels are
perfect. Her doctor gave her this medication not
for birth control but change of life problems and
fibroids, etc. Be very very careful with this
medicine. She had no time to call for help!!!!
She was not depressed, in fact she was going
to college to become a LVN.

OMG I am so glad I found this site!!! I have been taking YAZ for 4 months. I have been on/off several birth control pills, some with no side effects and some with. These are the worst!!! I felt like I was going crazy until I found this site. At first all I noticed was moodiness, instead of having PMS a couple days before my period I had it all month except for before and during my period. Then about 2 months into it I started feeling fuzzy headed, unable to focus, started having tingles in my arms and legs like when your foot is asleep. If I take the pill at night I have horrible night sweats and if I take it in the morning I am tired all day and have horrible dreams. The worst of it was I was having severe episodes of vertigo, the room starts spinning and I have to grab hold of stuff. It was really scary, I am a single mom and was scared that I might fall at home and my toddler would be unable to go for help. I thought maybe my iron or blood sugar was low so I went to the doctor and had a full work up on my blood - everything came back fine. The doctor wanted to send me for a CAT scan and I didn't want one as I had started wondering if it could be the pill. I am calling my gynecologist today to get it switched. Thank you so much for all your posts! Me, my family, and my job all were thinking I was going crazy or just a hypochondriac.
On a side note - I do have 3 teenage cousins who take this pill and have no side effects. However I have always been very sensitive to medication. This pill may work for some, but not for me.

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

I spent yesterday in the emergency room with my 20 y/o daughter. She was experiencing severe cramping and twitching of her right side, swelling of the joints with shooting pains from her shoulders. The symptoms were those of a person with Parkinson's and severe charlie horses throughout their body. After many tests, I was floored when the doctor told me that he believed that it was YAZ that was causing this. She is also anemic, which she has never been. She has been on this medication for a little over one year. I came to this site to convince myself that the doctor was wrong..... isn't this supposed to be the wonder drug? After reading just a handful of the postings, I have found more symptoms that I have dismissed as 'stress from college'. She was placed on this medication for poly cysts caused by accutane! - Now this!!! What is going on with the FDA that they are allowing so many of these horrible side effects!

EVERYONE....LET'S HELP OTHER WOMEN FROM TAKING THIS MEDICATION AND REPORT THESE SIDE EFFECTS TO THE FDA. GO ONLINE AND FILL OUT THE FORM....IT'S EASY AND WELL WORTH IT! ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE DRAMATIC SIDE EFFECTS KNOW THAT THIS DRUG IS HARMFUL

I took Yaz for 8 months. I suffered bilateral pulmonary embolism in April 2008. I have an enlarged right ventricle and tricuspid regurgitation due to the PE's, which I have to be on medication for the rest of my life. I am now unable to take any form of hormone replacements to control my endometriosis and ovarian cyst, so I am now looking at a possible hysterectomy. I am only 30 years old, which way too young to be having these health problems, all due to a birth control pill!!

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

Hello all! for everyone considering getting off of yaz because of the side effects, from experience i say DO IT!! I took it for about a year and definitely became a different person. I've never been really emotional, i've always been active, and never had many heath problems (fortunately!) - It took me a long time to associate my changes with yaz, because they didn't come suddenly, but became gradually worse after a few months. I started getting worried about everything, and acting irrationally...especially in my relationship. I got insecure, needy and moody, and that obviously didn't help, especially when he was used to being with someone laid back and easy going!! things mattered to me that would never have before. i hate drama, and i just seemed to be causing it! i also gained some weight, but didn't notice that right away either. at one point i began having sharp pains that my doctor said were at my bladder, and i only felt them during sex. I went to two doctors and they couldn't figure out what they were so i just had to deal. they were horribly painful, and i've never had anything like it before, or since. i ended up getting off the pill by accident when i didn't realize my prescription had run out. at this point my boyfriend and i had broken up, and i now know a big part of it was how emotional and irrational i had become. i decided to stay off of it, because i don't medication anyway unless its truly necessary.

I didn't start feeling any different for about three months. i didn't know there would be a completely different set of side effects for coming off of it either!! so about 3 months later i started having these awful stomach pains. i had no idea what it was, i had never felt anything close to it. a friend suggested it was gas but i knew better...it was very odd and lasted almost 2 weeks. i felt nauseous almost every day. i didn't know what was wrong with me! i couldn't find anything exact online, so i planned on seeing a doctor shortly. i lost weight suddenly, and another friend asked me about it. i hadn't changed my diet or activities so i was confused! then i thought....maybe i lost this weight bc of my birth control, and we continued to look up symptoms online. WOW. everything i felt was described perfectly, and many sources said it took about 3 months to get out of your system!

i noticed i felt emotionally stable again too. it was me again! i figured it was relationship probs that made me feel crazy before, but at this point i was able to sit back and think about everything rationally. i think my craziness caused a good amount of them...i cant believe all of the changes i had, and didn't even know it.

anyway, ive been off of yaz for almost a year now and its great. i have a new boyfriend, and everything is great- i'm no emotional wreck, i don't make issues out of nothing, and when we do have an issue we're able to discuss it like normal people. life is much more simple. and its nice knowing the decisions and acts i make are all just bc thats how i am...not because of some medication!!

i know that was long, but hopefully it was helpful :)

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

Hi,

I've been taking YAZ for 2 1/2 weeks. First I should tell you that I suffer from PMDD and I wanted to give this a try. I would eat none stop...bad stuff like donuts and fried foods and I was just very touchy and angry for no reason with no energy. I know it's still early but I did have the extreme fatigue, sharp painful headaches, blurred vision, muscle aches the first couple of weeks but yesterday and today I feel GREAT! To early yet to notice if my moods will continue to improve or not be so drastic before I start my period but this is exactly the time that I would start being a monster before...I did feel a little sad during the first couple of weeks but that has gone away! I'm happy except I have noticed some hair loss just in the last couple of days. I hope this is temporary until my body adjusts to the medication because if you suffer from PMDD you will know that the minor initial side effects are definatley worth it (except I would rather have my hair and be mean) lol...we will see. I hope this helps...Sex drive is fine so far...Please write something regarding hair loss if you have been taking it longer and yours stopped after awhile. I don't wanna lose too much. Take care! God Bless Women...We have to be strong and we are!

I've been using Yaz for about three months now, and towards the middle of the first month was when I began to experience a few mild side affects. I became irritable and emotional, and so far I've gained about 5 pounds, but I learned to control it by month two. Now I'm at the end of month three, and new symptoms have emerged. If I'm hungry, I feel nauseated and lethargic. When I eat, the nausea becomes worse, and I actually ended up vomiting recently because I felt so sick. I've been bleeding every day, and have had difficulty becoming aroused even when sexually excited. I definitely do NOT recommend this medication. As soon as possible, I plan on seeing a doctor and switching to a better one!

My 14 year-old Daughter was prescribed YAZ for her acne. After the first 48 hours daughter began to have severe leg spasms, mood swings, anxiety attacks, numbness in hands and feet, heart palpitations, and migraines so severe that she had to miss school for 1 entire week. At first I didn''t put it all together but by day 5 I took her off the pills and waited....the symptoms went away but did leave her with a 3-week period.

This is a bad, BAD medication. When I was a teen girl I was on traditional b/c pills and I never, ever had any kind of reaction like this.

I contacted the FDA and filled out a complaint report.

Since my last post I have decided to stop taking Yaz! The majority of the side effects have faded, but the emotional rollercoaster is still very much active! It is killing my relationship and making my life a living hell. My poor family must think I have lost my mind! I started taking this medication to help my PMDD and it has done nothing but make things worse for me and my family. I want to thank everyone for being so open and being so honest, this has helped me beyond belief. I wish everyone good health!

I have been taking Yaz for a month and a half. The only medication I have been on in several years.
At work yesterday, my head started getting foggy. And my perception, was all messed up. After about 15 minutes of this not getting better, I started to lose my speech communication. I couldn't finish sentences or words. Stuff was jumbling together. In my right hand, two fingers went numb, then the whole hand. A client ended up driving me to the ER. I tried to call my receptionist, but I couldn't get the words out, my client took the phone and told her I was going to the ER. By the time I got to the ER, feeling started coming back, and I could communicate, in full sentences, if I paused between. By the time I was checked in and saw the doctor, I was able to tell him all that happened. With no problem, then a huge headache came on.
He wanted to rule out stroke, so did the CT scan and MRI. The nurse had some trouble getting blood from me. She kept mentioning that the blood kept clotting. The doctor sent me home saying my brain was perfectly healthy, and to go see my regular doctor.
A friend told me it was the birth control, because she could not take it, as she has lupus, and could have a stroke. She said it causes clotting. All of this was making sense to me. I looked up the side effects I had and found the "stroke symptoms", listed as rare, on Yaz.
My opinion of what happened, I had a blood clot that ended up passing through, and it could have become a stroke.
Another thing I read, besides the clotting. Was that oral contraceptives increase the potassium in your blood. I had been eating a banana for breakfast, 3 mornings in a row (the third on the day of this episode). The added potassium, could have been related to this episode.
How is anyone to know they can't eat something like "bananas" with birth control? I certainly didn't.
I am afraid to try any form of birth control at this point.

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

Hello! My name is Lisa and I had a HORRIBLE experience with Yaz. I took Yaz for 2 months after 3 months of Seasonique. I had switched because Seasonique made me extremely moody (all of a sudden I hated everyone on the planet). My OB gave me a few months worth of Yaz. Within weeks I noticed a strong stomach pain. I contacted my OB and he thought I just had a stomach virus. This pain continued on for several more weeks. I called my OB again and he just said, "The pill doesn't do that." I got a second opinion from another OB and he also agreed.... "The pill doesn't do that." Then out of desperation I made an appt with my Fam doctor and he diagnosed me with Gastritis.... said that he thought my diet was the cause of my pain. Uh, let me mention this.... this stomach pain is so severe you literally CAN'T eat anything cause if you do, 5 mins later you will be in SEVERE pain. To get a better picture of this pain just think of glass shards piercing through your stomach walls (I thought just maybe I was getting an ulcer). My Fam doctor gave me a months worth of Aciphex (which never never never helped at all) and I also saw him twice more in that month (which was my 2nd month of Yaz). He got so frustrated with me... it was Gastritis and if I wanted it to go away I had to be willing to make changes in my diet (I still was not eating and was losing weight) and also be patient enough for the Aciphex to take effect. Finally, out of frustration I quit Yaz. Within weeks my stomach pain was completely gone.
Let me say this to all women reading this. I don't care what your OB says.
There is no need to tolerate any pain from a medication.... especially when there are other options out there. To have a doc tell you to "wait it out for a few months" is ridiculous. To not be able to eat for days or even weeks is dangerous to your health. I eventually googled Yaz + Side Effects and found that the severe stomach pain I was having was a possible side effect and it even instructs you to tell your physician if you experience such pain. Why is it I opted to tell not 1 but 3 docs this and no-one would listen??????? Personally I would like to see all 3 docs lose their jobs because they should have known this.
Ladies, tell anyone you know about this pill. Get the WORD out about this pill. I frequently go on Yahoo Answers and girls are always asking advice on birth control pills and I jump at every chance to spread the word. Let's get this pill OFF OF THE MARKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Thank you all for sharing. I couldn't figure out why for the last 4 months I have been extremely exhausted and the only thing I had changed in my life was starting Yaz. This morning I just couldn't take it anymore so I started to google "side effects" from Yaz. I had gone to my doctor and told her there is something wrong but I don't know what it was. She blew it off and said it was depression and told me to take anti-depression medication. I have had major depression in my past and know what it feels like and I was 100% sure that there was something strange happening to my body, not depression. My other side effect, besides the common ones many people wrote about was severe body aches. I am 34 and it feels like I am 80. It is hard for me to get out of bed without giving a good holler. My moodiness, sleeplessness, bloating, headaches, body aches, and feeling exhausted 24 hours a day has halted my life. I am stopping Yaz TODAY!!!!
Charity

I have just spent the last hour reading some of the post about Yaz. I have yet to read one that states she is diagnosed with PMDD and that is the reason for her dr. putting her on Yaz. Yaz is not only a birthcontrol pill but also effective tool in treading PMDD. PMDD is the more life effecting sever side effects of your menstral cycle. Some of the side effects people are experiencing on Yaz are those that I suffer with on a regular basis. You see I have been diagnosed with PMDD. I suffer every month for at least 7 - 10 days before my period starts. I literally hate human contact during this period. The slighest thing makes me uncontrollably irrate with things from fuzz on my carpet to the site of my husband. I experience svere road rage. Have absolutley no desire to do anything but eat and sleep. These side effects make life for everyone around me pure hell. Once my cycle starts they subside. I literally turn into cruella deville every month. I have been put on other antideppresants for the treatment of PMDD with no good results. I gladly welcome nasuea, headaches and break thru bleeding versus no sleep for days on end, halluctinations, memory loss, and flat affect all symptons I experienced on Prozac the most common treatment of PMDD. Not only do I suffer from PMDD but I have horrible horrible monthly periods consisting of major bledding with excessive clotting. I go thru 2 40ct. boxed of tampons each month and a box of maxi pads too. So if a headache is the price i have to pay for a few months I say bring it on. Any dr will tell you and the pamplet that comes with Yaz state that you may suffer some side effects until your body becomes adjusted to the new medication. You can't just pop one pill and say whalla my life is perfect now. I just started Yaz this week and so far no symptoms listed on this site have i experienced. Maybe some people need to be more patient. Medications are like diets, they don't all work and they were not intended to be overnight miracle workers. I will keep and eye on this site and further update with any success and or non success I have with this med. Remember talking a med used to treat an ailment that you don't have can make you suffer from worse side effects.

I just wanted to give an alternative perspective to the comments on this board.

I've been on Yaz for two months, and I'm very happy with it. The first week or so wasn't great: weird muscle aches, fatigue, lightheadedness occasionally. I had light brownish discharge/spotting for about a week. The second week I had some striking headaches, and over the first two weeks I lost 10 pounds (water weight).

But since then it's been smooth sailing. My period came exactly on time and lasted about 2.5 days. I no longer have any symptoms besides breast tenderness (akin to what my breasts felt like before my period, before).

So - keep in mind when you're reading these negative comments that usually the happy folks don't feel the need to post!

Very Bad Experience.
I didn't want to take a BCP since I try to not put any medications in my body if I don't have to...now I remember why. This medication has had a very negative impact on my quality of life. I have extreme tenderness of my breasts, I am exhausted all the time, my periods are longer and fairly irregular, the cramping is very painful and more regular than before I took Yaz...but the worst thing is my moods. I'm irritable and anxious and crabby. I am critical of everything my boyfriend does even though he's a great guy. I am impatient and seem to find fault and negativity in everything around me where before it was 'glass half full'. The headaches and blurred vision doesn't help either. I'm going back to my old ways and would not recommend taking this bcp to anyone.