Yaz and moods

I was on Yaz for about 2 years or so. I decided to take a break from it and then decided to look up the side effects. I found this site and another one like it. I can't believe I didn't know all the problems I was having could be from this pill.
After reading about all the side effects I decided to get off it completely.
At first when I was on it, I was great. My major adult acne FINALLY went away. No other B.C. pill worked for that. My moods right before my period were so much better.
I had been depressed a lot and this pill seemed to help a great deal.

Then about a year into the pill, I developed major food allergies. I figured out I can't eat anything with soy (or only very small amounts). I had always been lactose intolerant, but now I can hardly eat any milk products at all. Dairy and soy products completely dry me all up. I can't breathe anymore. My eyes are always dry now, especially when I wake up in the morning. I sleep with a humidifier and the Breathe Right nose strip every night now. My chest is a lot tighter and my upper back hurts a lot now. Not sure if that is related to Yaz or not.
I also have asthma, which was well controlled for years, but now it seems this pill has made me a lot worse.
I also had heart palpitations, dizziness, and severe fatigue. The fatigue seemed to come on in the last year. I could still go to work, but got so tired easily. When I got home I just wanted to do nothing. If I slept all night, it still felt like I didn't sleep at all when I woke up in the morning.
My sex drive in the last year was piratically nothing as well. That among other things ended my long term relationship.
I thought all these things were due to getting older. I'm only in my late 30's.
I also had severe headaches all the time. I thought my head was going to explode.

I've only been off the pill for just over a month, so I hope things improve.
I feel my energy is slowly coming back and the headaches are getting less frequent.
Thanks for all of you on this site and others I have read.
I think it has saved my life.

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.

Glad to find that I'm not the only one!

I was on Yaz for a year and a half, but I just stopped taking it two and half weeks ago. I'm already starting to feel better. I had quite a few symptoms creep up while I was on it and I guess I just attributed them to other things until recently. The first couple months I was on Yaz, it seemed great. I didn't gain any weight, my periods were lighter, my moods seemed relatively stable. But then about nine months ago I started getting frequent heart palpitations and anxiety. My doctor saw me three or four times about it and couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. (It didn't even occur to me to ask if Yaz could possibly do that.) Around the same time, I started to get bad muscle fatigue and muscle cramps. My muscles felt sore and tired during the day for no reason. And sometimes at night I would wake up yelling because of sharp cramps in my calves. And over the last year, my moods became horrible. I lost my patience completely and became really weepy and depressed at other times. And my sex drive was totally gone. Then very recently, I started getting horrible completely debilitating headaches like I'd never had before.

But the thing that finally made me realize that Yaz might be effecting me this way, was that I actually felt BETTER right before my period, during the four days of the inactive pill. During these days - the days when most women feel moody and fatigued - I actually felt like my old self. I did a bit of research and quickly realized that Yaz is likely responsible for quite a few of the negative feelings I've had the last year and half.

I'll report back after I've been off of it for a couple months and I know it is completely out of my system.

God I was really thinking I was starting to loose it.. I have never been a emotional person but in the past 3 years my moods have been steadily getting worse. I wanted more attention form my bf, but yeat didn't want him to touch me, had no sex drive... it almost caused me to ruin my relationship of 4 1/2 years.. hopefully we can pull it back together.

I was on Yaz for two years, and gained a total of 17 pounds from the day I went on it, to the day I went off of it. I'm sure some of the weight gain can be attributed to other factors, but I didn't really change my diet or exercise regime at all and the piles still packed on. I also always looked really swollen, almost pregnant, like you could see the water retention in my tissues. I had issues with my hair falling out, too. The plus was that my moods did feel more leveled out, but then the weight gain and hair loss caused other emotional issues so it was a no win situation.

I went off of it about a year ago, I've lost 15 pounds of the weight and my hair loss has pretty much subsided. But now I have very short periods, lasting three days tops. I worry that Yaz did something to my body that may affect my ability to get pregnant long term, as it seems my hormone levels have seriously depleted...

I understand there is a lot of negativity surrounding this drug, and although I read a lot of similar stories before filling my prescription, I started taking Yaz. Since I have started my period, I have suffered extreme back pain, moodiness, cramping, bloating and a flow so heavy I would go through a super tampon almost every hour. So when I was 14 I started on Alesse. It helped a little with the bleeding and did nothing for my pain. I am now 20 years old and just switched to Yaz. My life has changed. For the first time in 8 years I feel no cramping, bloating, nausea, back pain or diarrhea that was associated with my period. My flow is much lighter. My moods are completely stable and my sex drive has improved. Not to mention my skin is in perfect condition. I have the energy I have always wanted at this time of the month and finally I can get myself out of bed (I have missed school because of my pain). For some, this drug may not help. But for others, like me, it can change your life. I am so happy...maybe it has something to do with actually having PMDD symptoms. If you do not have PMDD maybe this drug will backfire. I don't know. But for now, I am so grateful for Yaz.

I am 21 years old and have had acne since I was 13. Not normal acne, it was like cystic and none could make it go away. I was also acting nuts when my period came around. I've tried SO many birth control pills and Yaz is the only one that has worked on my acne AND my moods. I was on Yasmin prior and the doctor said it was making me crazy so to try to sister Yaz. I know people that are on it and they hate it, but I think if you have SEVERE PMS and SEVERE acne, it will work to your advantage. The only thing I have had trouble with is awful migraines, but I got new glasses that are anti-reflectant and that seems to help tremendously. I'm taking Zoloft as well and I notice that if I take them at the same time, I get horrible nausea, so by taking them 12 hours apart, all is well!

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

I am 38 and took YAZ for two years. At first it seemed like a wonder drug. I didn't have a period the entire time I took them and my MD said that was normal for some women. After about a year, I started having night sweats, leg cramps, and increased moodiness...like things that should just aggravate me made me down right angry. I also started having considerable swelling in my hands and feet that was present most of the time. After a night of research on the internet trying to figure out what was wrong with me (my thyroid?) I landed on a few sights about YAZ and felt like my prayers were answered. Every single thing that was happening to me: sweats, swelling, cramps, low sex drive, fatigue, headaches, GI upset...could be attributed to YAZ. I stopped taking it immediately. It's only been about a month and I'm still feeling a little tired and moody, but my legs don't cramp, my rings fit my fingers, no more night sweats, and I have the hots for my hubby again. Life if Good! :)

Hi, I am a mother of two very young children. I am also a stay-at-home mom. Prior to December 2008 I had been feeling possible peri-menopause symptoms such as (night sweats, memory loss, some what crazy period) and decided to go to my obgyn and get a checkup. She decided to put me on Yaz for the hormone replacement thinking that would help me. I have been on Yaz since December and my life has been horrible as well for my family. I have not been myself and have been progressively getting worse. I think this medicine should be taken off the market because it could severely cause someone to harm themselves. Here are my side effects using this drug:
1. severe headaches coming from the spine up the neck
2. severe mood swings (felt as though something terrible/irritating under the skin) - my children have taken the brunt of my terrible moods, so badly so at times they hid from me
3. severe loss of sleep (forget sleeping can't shut the brain down)
4. severe joint pain (stiffness and ache's in the knees, elbows, back and neck)
5. feeling as though I had a cold
6. severe mental cloudiness (i would get to the grocery store and forget half of the things on my list)
7. severe gas
8. blurred vision
9. overall tiredness and loss of enthusiasm for life (no joy or peace)
10. total loss for sex (my poor husband has been such a trooper through all of this)
I am sure of more side effects, but these are what really are coming to me at the moment. Look I have been praying for a sign as to why I was feeling so terrible these last few months. I have quit taking this medicine as of yesterday. I still feel the effects but have the faith that I am going to get better. Please if you are reading this and think maybe you are crazy, you are not. Yaz is the cause of your problems. Think about it, pray about it, consider getting off. It just might save your life.

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 started taking Yaz about a year ago. I started taking it around the time my brother died in a car accident. I thought that my loss of libido, tiredness, lack of interest in everything, emotional outbursts, arguing with my husband for any reason, crying over nothing, unable to concentrate while studying and unable to remember a thing were all because of my brothers death. I am now thinking that this may be due to Yaz. Does this sound like Yaz side effects? or am I suffering from depression because of my brothers death. I just haven't felt right lately and I cant figure it out.

I was diagnosed with PMDD and was prescribed YAZ to help. Immediately after starting the pill, my PMDD symptoms worsened to the point where I was sobbing, angry, withdrawn, confused, up/down and worst of all, suicidal. Never in my worst of moods have I thought about suicide and with this pill, I became completely out of control. I stopped using it and it was like someone switched off a light switch - I didn't feel out of control! I gave it a second try after a full cycle and the same exact things happened again. My husband had to hide the gun and threw the pills in the trash. I've never felt so scared and unstable in my life.....

I am almost on my 3rd month of YAZ and I am totally not the person I once was before taking this pill. I have been really moody and just the slightest things will upset me. My fiance and I have been arguing all the time and all of it seems to be my fault because of how I react to certain things. I used to be calm and we would be able to talk things through when things would be bothering me and now I just fly off the handle and am so rude to him and I don't even notice it until he says something about it when we are arguing. I blame myself for so many things and I seem to be stressed more than I should be. It even scares me that I will think of ways to hurt myself because I feel so horrible about myself and what I am doing to my fiance and to others. I am going to the doctor tomorrow for a Gardasil shot and I'm going to tell them about what I'm going through and how it's totally not me and hopefully can do something about it.
I would get really moody when I first started my period before starting YAZ and I went to the doctor to see if there was something I could do and he prescribed me YAZ. Well after taking it and realizing what it is doing to me and making me feel my fiance told me that he would rather deal with my once a month week long moods then have to deal with arguing everyday about stupid reasons. I want to wait it out for three months but I don't think my fiance nor I can take this crazy stuff anymore. It has put such a strain on our relationship to where he/we decided that we shouldn't see each other for a week and see what that does. I personally don't think that's what we need.... we need for me to be off this stupid pill.

If you don't like having sex, take Yaz... if you want to kill your sex drive completely and then try to force yourself to have sex (it's very painful) take Yaz... if your just trying to take a good birth control that doesn't mess with your moods too much and gives you a light cycle, Yaz is perfect. Unfortunately for me, I started taking it right before I got married. I stopped 2 weeks ago and feel fantastic! Goodbye sexless marriage! FREEDOM!!! Really, though, it's not just Yaz that does that.. almost all birth control pills will. A recent study came out saying that it puts you in pregnancy mode which makes you not only less sexually driven, but also less attracted to your partner. Check it out at ****** in the health section. I'm sticking to condoms... oh, side effect of getting off the pill, SORE nipples... anyone else experience this... I'm worrying a bit about pregnancy....

I have been on YAZ for about three weeks. This is my first BCP I've been on. Within a few days of taking it, I got headaches everyday, my moods were up and down, and I got cramps in my lower abdomen. It felt like I was getting my period because of the cramping. This may be a little TMI, but I was horny all the time! Now the thought of having sex bores me. I don't want to have sex, I feel like crap every day, and I'm over all having a bad time on this pill. I'm scared to keep going with it, because I don't want something bad to happen, but I know that with any type of pill, until your body gets used to it, your going to have some weird side effects. Can someone please give me some advice what to do? Should I keep taking it or just stop?

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, I have been taking Yaz for about 6 months. I struggle with PMDD. I was really nervous to try as I've heard horrible things from all of these forums. However, I noticed IMMEDIATE improvement in my irritability, rage, crying, insecurity. For the first time since having children, I feel confident, and my moods are steady through the whole month. My periods are also only 2 days and very light! The only complaint I have is that my sex drive is completely gone. So, I feel I need to make a choice between "faking i'm interested" or keeping my emotions in check.

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

I am a 38 Yrs old and I took myself off Yaz 2 nights ago after being on it for 2 weeks. I still need to call the gyno and inform her. My personality completely changed, my moods terrible, snappy and extremely short fused, i think i'm officially banned from the dunkin donuts at the end of the street after yelling at them for screwing up my order-normally i'd let it go and just get it fixed, no patience whatsoever. I'd never been on birth control before, and I'll never go on it again after this experience. I didn't even want to be with myself. I can't believe my boyfriend didn't dump me after Sunday. The side effect i find odd and worrisome the most is, and I still have, pressure in my head and throat and tongue, it's dissipating as of today but started last Thursday (about a 1.5 weeks on the yaz). Has anyone else experience the head pressure?

i've been on Yaz for 4 months. My doctor switched me, trying to correct what he thought was vaginal dryness caused by ortho tri cyclen lo. It wasn't at all. I've had the same sexual problems.

But, I've had a horrible time with Yaz. My period has been all messed up. My period usually comes one day, and is horribly heavy for one day. I mean, like gushing heavy. Then it turns brown for the next 5 days, sometimes longer.

Also, my moods have been weird. I have random mood swings now. Where I want to cry at one point for no reason, then I go back to normal. But, today was the last straw. On my way to work, I felt a random crying spell come over me. Then it turned into depressed that made me want to kill myself. So, I'm assuming the mood altering parts in the pill are similar to anti depressants, and made me feel suicidal.

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 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.

I had been taking Yasmin 28 for about 2 years with very little side effects. About 3 months ago, my doctor prescribed me the new version, Yaz. Since then my moods have been very extreme, and I am known as a very mellow, non-moody person! One week I'm very confident, happy and content. The next I'm ready to break up with my boyfriend, criticizing every little thing he does. The week after that, I'm depressed, lonely and very emotional. I'm in the middle of my pack now so I will have to finish it up, but at least I am aware and I will try my best to control my moods this month (mind over matter as they say). But I will definitely be switching prescriptions.

I just finished taking my 3rd pack of pills. I loved Yaz my first 2 months. This month, I'm just not so sure. Ive had HORRIBLE acne when I usually don't even have acne at all. Maybe one pimple, thats it. This is terrible. Also, my mood swings are like a crazy person. One minute I'm fine, the next I'm breaking up with my boyfriend, then I love him more than anything, then I don't want to have contact with anyone who is living, then I'm lonely. Oh its bad... But my cramps are pretty much non-existent. Which is nice because off of Yaz, they are TERRIBLE!