Yasmin & Yaz Survivors

Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 11:49 pm

Dear ladies,

Please share your side effects of Yasmin, Yaz, or Ocella so new visitors easily can read it and recognize the symptoms they are having.

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:17 am

I will start:

I was on Yasmin for 7 years, and took my last Yasmin on October 7th 2009. All together I have been on a pill for 11 years. Here are my side effects:

Depression - Didn't find an interest in anything, everything was "gray". My feelings were numb I wasn't even enjoying my friends. Crying for everything and anything.

Heart Palpitations - My heart would either beat so fast that it felt like I was running for my life, and this would most of the time happen while I was sleeping or just watching TV. My other type would be very hard heart beats that would hurt during and for even days after as it felt so if the area around my hear was bruised. Most of the time the heart beats would go from the speedy ones to the hard ones. The times I had EKG and other heart scans done I was most often fine...

Hair Loss - I noticed this hair loss during a vacation to the Canary Islands in the beginning of 2000. I would get patches of hair just falling out while taking a shower, and it has continued since then. People use to tell me that we all loose more or less hair during different cycles - My hair loss cycle never ended.

Allergies - The same year I started taking birth control pills I also developed allergy towards Pollen. After a while my allergy became more severe and also developed allergy towards dogs and fruits. Along side of that I also started to be unable to ware earrings that weren't made out of real gold (something that is completely GONE now). During my last years on Yasmin I also developed horrible allergy reactions to different antibiotics and other medications - I became very sensitive to a lot of things.

Astigmatism & Blurry Vision - Started realizing I was having trouble seeing while going to college (2002-2006) and started to check up my vision. As my vision had always been GREAT I was surprised to hear that I had a minor astigmatism. Last year my vision got so poor that I was afraid to drive when it was dark outside, or when it was raining. I also received my first glasses ever last spring. Today I don't have to ware them as much anymore and that feels great! My blurry vision was probably part of my astigmatism and it did get A LOT worse when I stopped taking Yasmin for maybe a month or so.

Lightheaded - I would feeling faint at different times for no reason. During my last year on Yasmin I fainted twice while watching a Phillies game. The first time I had been drinking 2 Smirnoff ice and the second time I was drinking water so it had nothing to do with the drinking. I would feel faint if getting up from bed, if taking a shower too long, if people would touch me... the list goes on. I have not had this feeling since I stopped taking Yasmin

Sensitive to the Sun - Sun rash, sun rash, sun rash!!! What more can I say. I am looking forward to see what will happen this summer

Head aches - Almost every day! Most of the time they would go all the way down my neck and shoulders too.

Sleep issues - I would have periods when I would sleep all the time, and periods when I wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

Bathroom issues - This is something I didn't even realize I had issues with until I stopped taking Yasmin. I don't want to go into details but does diarrhea for 7 years can't be a good thing, no wonder I was having head aches all the time.

Being that I have been off the pills for 4 months now I must say that many of my symptoms are gone, or at least improving so for you new girls out there - hang in there and be strong you will make it too!

Much LOVE
~Helena

Joined: 11 Feb 2010 Posts: 35 : Items

I've been on Yasmin once for 3 months, followed by 6 months of Dianne 35, followed by another 6 months of Yasmin, which I am currently on.

To start, I'm going to make a list of the side effects I had the second time I went on it. It's likely I had similar effects the first time, but my memory of it is unclear. I'll also go into a bit more detail after for those who care to read it.

- Abdominal pain (first 2-3 months)
- Nausea (first 4 months or so)
- Dry eyes (entire time)
- Anxiety and panic attacks (started to get bad 2nd-3rd month)
- Headaches during withdrawal period (4-6 months in, possibly sooner)
- Possible depression (hard to say as I've always struggled with it)
- Emotionally vulnerable (this one is also unclear, but there was a definite change in response to emotions due to the anxiety)

THE PANIC ATTACKS

By the second month, I started to feel a high level of anxiety. Of course it is possible that it started right away and it didn't think much of it (I've always been an anxious person in general). But by the second (or possibly third, I don't really remember) month, I started to get panic attacks. I thought my anxiety was just coming back (again, I've had trouble with it before). However, as time went on, it got worse and worse, to the point that I was having a panic attack every single day (NOT normal for me!). I was worrying obsessively about my health and sanity and was convinced I was dying or going crazy. It seemed that no matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. I started seeing a psychologist and was using CBT. I had used it before to get my anxiety under control but this time it wasn't working. I had a constant uneasy feeling for no logical reason. Despite always having anxiety issues, this did not feel right. The anxiety felt as though it was coming from some external source. I almost felt possessed.

I noticed that it was likely caused by this pill when I started to feel better during one of my off weeks, and as soon as I started my next pack, the unsettled feeling returned.

I am still on this pill but am hopefully going to stop tomorrow after I see my doctor. I also noticed that I started getting depressed when I started it, and at the time I attributed it to changes in my life, but now I am not so sure.

I also want to thank you for getting the forums back up and running, this looks like a great resource! I am so glad that I am not the only one to have problems with this pill and hopefully we can help each other get through the damage it's done.

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:40 am

Sugar N Spikes

I want to warn you, as I am sure many other girls would too that have been down this lane... Your doctor might deny your symptoms completely as a relation to Yasmin. So don't be surprise if they just prescribe you something else to coop with your issues. You will have to be strong. And even if they recommend you to continue taking the pill I URGE YOU TO STOP ASAP!

And also stay away from any other types of hormone birth control, since your body really need time to recover and find itself again!!

Let us know how everything goes.

Hugs,
Helena

Joined: 11 Feb 2010 Posts: 35 : Items

Helena,

I would be happy to stop my pills tonight! However I had unprotected sex on Tuesday, and I have heard that sperm can survive within the body for up to 4 days, so I am not sure if this is a good idea.

Tomorrow I am going to a women's health clinic and they tend to be pretty good with respecting a women's choice and her feelings/experiences. No matter what though I am adamant about getting off this pill!

How long should I wait before I go on another pill? I was on Alesse before all this madness started and I didn't have these problems and would like to go back on it. I was only switched because of acne issues, which Yasmin hasn't even helped!!

EDIT: Honestly, I'm just going to go ahead and stop them tonight. I just had a very frightening episode that resulted in a panic attack. I suddenly felt a strange feeling in my head, like it was light, and felt like I might faint. I felt a rush of blood in my head like when you stand up too fast except I was sitting and had not moved. My ears popped and then rang. Then my heart started POUNDING and my hands started shaking. It lasted for about an hour and I almost went to the hospital. What the hell is going on?!

Thank you for all your help and support. I really appreciate it during this difficult time.

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:24 pm

Sugar N Spikes,

I know too well what you are experiencing. That happened to me too - I even thought I was going to die - that I had taken one pill too many. It is a very scary feeling. And I think that ones you know what it is that is causing all of this, everything get's worse - it is like taking poison knowing that it is poison.

I hope that you get some good responses from the docs/nurses today. But I am so happy to hear that you have decided to quit asap no matter what.

As far as getting on another pill - I think most of the girls here would agree with me when I say that I would never in a million years ever take any type of hormone birth control ever again. We have been hurt too much by the pill and are not willing to risk it happening again, no matter how "safe" the other pills are. It might sound strange for you, and think - "but what else is there, I don't want to use a condom"... That is how I was thinking anyway - but if you start reading about natural ways of preventing pregnancies you will find that there are a bunch of them out there. I am using the Today Sponge along with pull out and it has worked really well for us so far.

Keep us updated on how it goes, please.

Good luck and many hugs,
Helena

Joined: 11 Feb 2010 Posts: 35 : Items

Thank you for your response. It was a scary feeling, for sure, but I feel better today. I had a headache after the experience, and my ears hurt a bit. It felt a bit like a sinus headache. Yesterday when my head felt light it was probably because of my sinuses. Weird. I also figured out that many of my 'panic attacks' were triggered by these odd reactions. Who knows, the rapid heart beat and/or shaking could be purely physiological as well.

I feel better knowing that I am not the only one and that it will get better once I get off of the pill. Then I'll be able to know myself again.

Yeah, the more I think about it, the less I want to go on another pill. I'm going to look into the copper IUD today. I had considered it in the past but decided I didn't want to deal with any initial side effects. I was also afraid of what it might do to my periods. I'm more willing now to take a chance with it. My periods were never really that bad anyway. I'd love to hear other women's experiences with IUDs!

Joined: 26 Sep 2009 Posts: 598 : Location: NJ Items

Hello ladies:

Welcome, and please know that you are not alone! There are many women who have experienced the same things that you have. This is a place for all of you to share your experiences without judgment or fear. It is only a place of comfort and reassurance.

As misspkm (Helena) said, please feel free to share your symptoms and your stories on this thread. And thank you, Helena, for starting this site once more, after the posts were unfortunately erased.

Here is a list of the symptoms I experienced:

Acid Reflux: Came out of nowhere, and was debilitating. Had to go on omeprazole, Nexium, etc. for it and it just seemed to not want to go away.

IBS: Had to rush to the bathroom, especially in the morning. Not to be too graphic, but I didn't have a "normal" stool for a very long time. I wasn't under lots of stress at the time, and so the doctors didn't understand it. They recommended an upper GI, but I never went.

Astigmatism: Was diagnosed with astigmatism (football-shaped cornea) out of the blue. Also experienced vision issues, such as blurriness and being unable to read without glasses (which never happened before).

Heart palipitations: I had these before, but they worsened tremendously while on the pill.

Allergies: Development of seasonal allergies and worsening of exisiting allergies to dust and dander.

Weight gain: When I switched to Ocella, gained 10-20 lbs. out of the clear blue, without changing my diet or anything (I've always eaten quite healthily).

Hypoglycemia: Developed this when I first starting taking the pill and it worsened as time went on, with symptoms like faintness, hot flashes, and irritability.

Hot flashes: Hormonal hot flashes that would occur especially at night, to the point where I would sweat even in the wintertime.

TMJ: Development of jaw/teeth clenching in my sleep, which I never did before and which resulted in jaw and tooth pain.

Migraines: Started to get these the last few months of being on Yasmin, and still get them occasionally. Never had them more than once or twice a year before, now get them fairly regularly.

Mood swings/Mild Depression: Tremendous mood swings, which are now improving since I've been off. Would be very angry and irritable (almost scarily so) then be weepy and ultra-sensitive, then happy, etc. all within one day. Felt like I was losing my mind.

Weepiness: This falls under the mood swings as well, but the weepiness was the worst- would just start crying for no reason.

Anxiety: Perhaps the worst symptom of all- started with a panic attack out of the blue. Then became a low-level constant anxiety, and now more mild, but still struggle with it sometimes.

I'm sure there are more that I'm not thinking of, but those are what come to mind right away. I know it seems like a lot, but these were all never an issue prior to the awful pill. Most of these things have gotten better now (5th month off Yasmin) but some things I still struggle with. I was on the pill for 10 years altogether, Yasmin for almost 5 of those years, and so I know that I need to be patient and over time, my body and mind will heal.

I wish the same for all of you and want all of you to know that I am here if you need anything- feel free to PM me if you need to, as well.

I send big hugs to you all and remember that you are not alone!

Love, luck, and hugs:
Meagan

Joined: 26 Sep 2009 Posts: 598 : Location: NJ Items

I can't beleive I forgot the worst side effect- Numbness, which occurs only on one side (right side) usually on my face but sometimes spreads to hands and legs. Doctors have so far thought that it could be a) Thyroid issues, b) Trigeminal Neuralgia, or c) Migraine Auras. I don't think it's any of the above, but who knows?!!

Joined: 12 Feb 2010 Posts: 2 : Items

Hey Girls

I also was taking Yasmin for ~ 5 years, (since I was 20, am 25 now) and discontinued about 4 months ago due to hyperkalemia (wayyyyy high blood levels of potassium, very bad news for your heart). Since discontinuing this hellish bcp, I have lost about 1/4-1/3 of my hair (this began about 2 months after stopping), and it continues to fall out every day. I also have gotten pimples all over my forehead, chest and back (this started about 3 weeks after stopping). There are dozens of tiny pimples, and I have never gotten pimples (not even while going through puberty.) I am not very concerned about the pimples or mood swings, as I know my hormones are readjusting and balancing. It is the hair loss that concerns me. It seems this side effect is happening to many of us upon discontinuing Yasmin. It would be wonderful if anyone who has been off Yasmin for longer than 4-5 months and dealing w/ this terrible thing could tell us what happened? Does the hairloss stop? Should we try hormone replacement therapy/etc. or just wait it out and take vitamins? Any guidance would be appreciated more than I can say.

No contraceptive medication is worth this, with this many side effects. I am just very glad I have stopped taking birth control and have not had a stroke (bcp's double your risk of stroke, especially if you are a smoker). This is serious bad stuff. Good luck to you ladies, and I hope we all get back to normal soon!

Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 4 : Items

Hi there,

I wanted to share my story with you and this website, which helped me through a very difficult time when I was recovering from Yasmin. Here is my story:

I only took Yasmin (the generic Ocella) for 6 days in August 2008 to control really severe PMS/PMDD. That's all it took for me to suffer terrible side effects, the worst period in my life. I knew something was wrong while I was taking it. I felt out of control angry, wanted to hit things, felt really hot and sweaty all the time, also felt really fatigued and tired and no matter how much I drank, literally liters and liters of water, I always felt thirsty and dehydrated. I also had tingling in my hands. So, I knew I had to get off of this awful poison. That's when things got even worse.

My first day off the pill after 6 days, I had terrible panic attacks. I had never had a panic attack in my life. Now, I could not be left alone in a room because I was afraid I was going to die and no one would be able to help me. I had heart palpitations and went to the ER three separate times. I had incredible fatigue where I would sleep for 14 hours and still feel incredibly tired and could not get up. I felt feverish, I had so much anxiety I could not sit still. I had searing pain in my head, migraine headaches, which I had never had before. I felt like someone was sticking a knife in my head. It was such a sharp, searing pain. I had nerve pain, zapping pain in my fingers and legs, that felt like electric shocks. I had broken capillaries, skin breaks, bruising, blood problems -- it was very scary. I was terrified I was having blood clots. I continued to suffer from panic attacks and debilitating anxiety where I could not be left alone for any amount of time. I had ringing in the ears. I went to the hospital more than 20 times, went to the ER, urgent care, saw my doctor almost everyday to try to get help for all of these symptoms. It felt like my body was falling apart and I had every symptom imaginable. I had never had any of these problems before ever in my life, and I was a healthy person before all of this happened.

It's been a year and a half since I've been off the Yasmin. The recovery was slow and painful and I would say every day was a struggle. Some days I felt like going back to taking it because the side effects were so bad but I never did because I couldn't keep putting that poison in my body. I would say the first month was the worst where I didn't feel I was getting better. The first three months were really tough. Hang in there. Take good care of yourself. If you can, sleep as much as you can, try to relax, and don't expose yourself to anything stressful. Avoid caffeine at all costs. It only makes everything worse. It adds to the anxiety, panic attacks and the bruising, blood problems, skin breaks. Brace yourself for your body trying to recover itself from the Yasmin poison. It will take some time for your body to find itself back to health, BUT, rest assured that getting off of Yasmin is the best thing you can ever do for yourself -- your body and your mind. Your body will find its way back and right itself. Have faith in your body to make a healthy recovery.

After two years, I can honestly say I think I am 90% back to the healthy person I was before I ever touched Yasmin and stopped taking it. I still have setbacks -- I am incredibly sensitive to caffeine which I never was before and can't have it anymore and I have some brusing/blood issues I am still concerned about, but for the most part, I am back to the healthy person I was pre-Yasmin. Immediately post-Yasmin I was so fatigued I could not even make it to the gym even though I used to work out everyday before I took Yasmin. Now, I can work out again.

Please know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. If you ever need to talk to someone who's been through it, please email me at mlark112 at gmail dot com and I would be happy to talk to you. So many lovely people on this site helped me through when I thought I was going to die from getting off of this pill, that I want to help anyone else who has to go through this. Please, please, please -- tell anyone and everyone you know to NEVER TAKE YASMIN, YAZ OR OCELLA! If they are on it, PLEASE TELL THEM TO STOP! The sooner they get off of it, they sooner they will recover. I only took it for 6 days but it took me almost two years to get over Yasmin, and I only took it for 6 days!!!! That tells you how strong this poison is!

I wish you all a speedy recovery.

Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 4 : Items

January 14th
2010
6:43 AM
I am here to WARN ALL OF YOU that you need to stop taking Yaz, Yasmin, or Ocella ASAP. I have studied for many years, and am well aware of what the drug in these birth control pills is doing to you. I am attaching my letter that I wrote to the FDA and pharmaceutical companies. You may not have side effects now, BUT it's just a matter of time. Please heed my warning. There are better pills to be taking. Also, if you go off of any 3 of these pills, you may continue to suffer side effects. A doctor prescribed salt pills to my niece, and they helped a lot. Your potassium and sodium balance is out of whack, due to the drug turning off another ver important hormone that will be described in my letter. I wish you all the best!!

Letter to the FDA (and the applicable drug companies)

To Whom It May Concern,

I have recently taken on the task of studying about the effects of Drospirenone, an active ingredient of Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella birth control pills. I took this study task on, since I have a high level of understanding of what certain chemicals can do in the human body. It did not take me long to realize that healthy young women were being poisoned by this criminal ingredient; criminal meaning that this ingredient should NOT be prescribed to healthy individuals under the guise of birth control pills. Unsuspecting women and teenage girls are being subjected to a dangerous chemical without fully understanding the aftermath of its purpose in the body. Apparently you do not fully understand this either, otherwise you (FDA), Bayer, Barr Industries, or Teva Pharmaceuticals would have never approved, or distributed, this horrendous concept of contraception. So, since it seems obvious to me that you lack the efficiency or education of protecting our youth, I will try and open up your eyes, in a simplistic manner, in order to help you see what a horrible and insidious ingredient you have allowed to be marketed in Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella birth control pills.

Drospirenone has close chemical similarities to Spironolactone, which places them both in a class of diuretics. They are also antagonists to the hormone called Aldosterone, through this diuretic process. Aldosterone has specific purposes in the body, which includes the fluid control and regulation of blood pressure within the vessels, as well as, regulation of sodium, which helps retain the water for these important functions. As an example of where this hormone is critical is this. A young girl engages in sports for an extended period of time, while profusely sweating, along with not replenishing the body with much needed water. The body realizes that there is a dire necessity to hold on to more sodium in order to retain the fluids that are left, hence why the much needed Aldosterone is signaled to do this job. The flow of blood is critical to our very survival because it carries oxygen and nutrients. If the Aldosterone pathway is turned off by the actions of Drospirenone, then the body has no way of maintaining this highly important function, other than to revert to robbing other organs of valuable fluids, in order to keep the vital blood pressure equalized. The robbed organs could include the gallbladder, kidneys, lungs, liver, pancreas and/or the heart. I believe the body is intelligent enough to know that it can only rob so much fluid from each organ, trying to preserve everything at a minimal of operational efficiency, before one of the organs will eventually fail. The girl playing sports is a short term understanding and example of the important function of Aldosterone, but what harm will this do to her body on a long term basis?

The girl continues taking her birth control pill daily, with the Drospirenone in it. She has no idea that her body is constantly fighting to keep her fluids adjusted in her body. She may even drink a caffeinated pop, or two, everyday, which is also a diuretic, and adds even more deleterious effects to the already compromised situation. The girl may start to get migraines, but does not know why. She may get occasional numbness, and discounts it as something that is not important. She probably will not make any connection to the birth control pills. As the fluid balance and blood pressure slowly, but surely, drops, with each passing day, the blood starts to thicken, which will inevitably lead to blood clot formation in various places of this young girl’s body. With the thickened condition of the blood, the heart finds it hard to pump this life giving fluid, because the blood pressure has become too low. The flow of oxygen and nutrients then become compromised in the entire body. As the body continues to rob vital organs of their much needed fluids, then either the gallbladder, kidneys, pancreas, liver, heart, or lungs will begin to shut down. In order for the body to continue to preserve itself, it will weaken the girl so that she cannot participate in any activity, whatsoever. Her vision may start to become blurred. She will feel nauseous due to lack of nutrients. She will lay around and become sicker and sicker as each day passes, until she dies. Is this all for the sake of stopping weight gain before her period?!! Now I have a brief lesson on why weight gain happens prior to menstruation.

Estrogen signals the body to prepare for an egg to be fertilized. In preparation of a pregnancy, the lining of the uterus is thickened for protective purposes. Once the body realizes that a pregnancy did not occur, then progesterone signals the body to start sloughing off the added lining that is no longer needed. As the time draws nearer to the menstruation, the girl begins to hold more fluids. This additional fluid is in preparation to make extra blood so that the lining and unfertilized egg can be removed by being washed out by the menstrual blood. What if the girl does not have enough fluid, in the first place, due to Drospirenone? She may not have a period at all, because the body had to first maintain it’s equalized balance of fluids in the vessels. The girl then starts developing cysts in her uterus, because all of the vital functions have been compromised and the unneeded lining could not be washed out, as nature intended. The body is doing the best it can with what it has, but something has to give. Obviously the medical establishment is not aware of these deleterious effects of Drospirenone, otherwise they would have stopped prescribing this birth control drug in the first place. Did any of you not think beyond premenstrual bloating, to the far reaching effects of stopping the enormously important function of Aldosterone?

In the very least, these birth control pills should only be prescribed to people that do have problems with hypertension or hypokalemia. Then, these same legitimately prescribed women should have their potassium levels checked on a regular basis, just as they would have to do if taking Spironolactone, otherwise they too will begin to start having the same problems that so many other girls are experiencing.

So, in closing, I want you ALL to know that you should be completely ashamed of yourselves. I could NOT live with myself knowing good and well that what I had either manufactured or approved had these harmful effects on our vibrant, wonderful, and unsuspecting young women. This drug is seriously injuring and killing our female population, and I can only surmise that it is in our marketplace for mere profit, because otherwise there is no conscionable sense to be made of this vile and detestable act. The drug, Drospirenone, should be IMMEDIATELY taken out of birth control pills and I hold you ALL accountable for not taking the initiative to do this. If you do nothing, then these injuries and deaths rest on your shoulders, and your shoulders alone. Can you live with that? I sure couldn’t.

An appalled parent of a wonderful daughter of whom I love dearly,

Rhonda

-- By rhondag

Joined: 11 Feb 2010 Posts: 35 : Items

Sorry to hear about what's happening, stella1. I haven't experienced this side effect but I'm sure someone else can help. The range of effects this pill can have are truly shocking to me now. I'm amazed that doctors just hand these things out like candy.

Thank you so much for sharing, gettingbetter! I am so sorry that happened to you, and after only six days! Wow, I'm glad you are doing better now. I can really relate to your story.

I've been on it for six months and feel very much the way you did RIGHT NOW. I went to the ER tonight because I had the most severe panic attack I've ever had so far (and that is saying something). I got the dizziness and ear pressure and ringing again. I started shaking and heart pounding. Then I started getting shortness of breath. I was pacing back and forth, saying things to my mom about how serious this was and how I needed to see a doctor. I started to cry, I was almost hysterical. I TRULY BELIEVED I was dying. I thought I had hypertension and was going to have a stroke. I thought this was really it, it was finally catching up with me. I 'knew' that I was one of the unlucky ones at that moment.

When I got there, I wanted them to check my blood pressure AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It's all I could think about. They checked it and said it was ok. I sat in the waiting room and the panic died down so I went home.

I know I'm in the worst of withdrawal right now and I am trying to make it through (I just stopped the pill 2 days ago). All day I have had EXTREMELY high levels of anxiety. I haven't been able to sit still or think straight the whole time. I've been bouncing off the walls! I have high muscle tension and a headache. And of course there was the whole ER incident. I feel somewhat more calm now, at least.

I'm sorry to be hogging the forum so much, but I've just been completely freaking out lately and it's nice to have SOMEONE understand. This is a very serious withdrawal. I've taken anti depressants in the past and have come off of those and let me tell you, this is just as bad, if not WORSE, because there is so much uncertainly in how serious it even is. Could I be one of those lucky people who make it through with no lasting damage? Or am I one of the unlucky ones who gets a stroke and dies? I don't know what is happening to my body. I'm hoping it's just anxiety and some minor dizziness and faintness from hormonal withdrawal, and that it will pass.

I really appreciate hearing these stories and knowing that it should improve with time. I appreciate all the advice so far. I've already cut out caffeine 2 months ago because of the anxiety it causes. I am trying to take care of myself. I'm drinking herbal tea and eating only REAL food (vegetables, fruit, lean meats, a lot of the stuff listed in the other thread). I take a multi-vitamin every day and have dissolving B complex and C vitamins I take in my water. I should try and get my rest too.

Anyway, again I'm sorry I keep taking about this, I just feel so awful, like I'm living a nightmare. I really appreciate all the stories and advice.

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 11:48 pm

Gettingbetter,

Thank you so much for your story. It is so valuable for us that are in the shit to hear that it will be better sooner or later. Horrible that your body reacted so fast and intense for you... but I am so happy you realized what it was. I hope you are improving day by day. Keep us updated with how things are going when you get a chance. HUGS

Stella,

Hair loss has been a thing that most women get during yasmin or after taking it. I have suffered from it for years. Since our hair is living a cycle of a few months I think that once your hormones are back to normal it would take your hair another 4 months for it to show... to help it on its way you can always try Vitamin D3 (5000 IU per day) and Calcium... I am however positive that it will get better, just be patient and eat as healthy as possible.

Sugar N Spikes,

I feel so bad for you - I know too well how that feels. I never went to the hospital during my panic attacks, I hate hospitals and I never trust them. But I seriously thought I was going to die the day I took my last pill... Horrible!

So looking back to whom I was back then to now I feel so much better and I think I have my supplements to thank for that, so please take that into consideration for your road to recovery.

How did your doctors appointment go?

Many hugs,
Helena

Joined: 14 Feb 2010 Posts: 1 : Items

I am soooooo relieved to see I’m not going mentally crazy and there are others like me out there! I'm almost 19 and have been on YAZ for about 2 1/2 years now. Recently I've seen the commercials and advertisements on the internet/television about the court cases involving YAZ & it scared me to death..... I looked into the pill more online and discovered that I have been experiencing the exact same problems as those filing the suits!!

About five months after taking the pill, I began having HORRIBLE stomach and intestinal pains, to the point where I couldn’t function. I went to doctor after doctor after doctor; they all thought I had either colitis or chron’s disease. I had a colonoscopy, and results came back negative. They treated me for IBS; however, the pains have persisted, a year and a half later! Eventually I just gave up trying to seek professional help and just have learned to deal with it. Now, I’m seeing that the cause is most likely due to this BC ruining my body.

Other physical symptoms i've noticed are shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, muscle ache, blacking out after walking up stairs or standing up from sitting.

In addition, I feel nauseated immediately upon waking each morning and almost always after eating. Ever since I’ve been on the pill, I’ve felt irritable, tired, spaced out, and mildly depressed, I just never realized it might have been because of YAZ. Recently, it has developed into a feeling of EXTREME depression, for absolutely NO reason!! I have a loss of interest in everything, including life (which is scaring me and my boyfriend)... I'm emotionaly vulnerable - as my mood can change from content to anger to sad to happy without notice! I sleep for at least 10 hours a day and feel exhausted all day long. I snap at every little thing. I cry at least once a day, for no reason. I’m just soooo sick of it!!!! My poor boyfriend has dealt with my depression and mood swings for the past 2 years now. I’ve been an emotional wreck!

I took my last active pill today and plan to never take another YAZ pill again. I have a feeling the next few weeks will be rough, but I'm sick of being so tired, irritable, and depressed all the time!!!! Hopefully this decision will be worth it. Has anyone had serious complications after coming off the pill? Any recommendations on what (if any) pill to switch to?