[Melephant]

GIRLS, PLEASE READ THIS INFO, IT'S IMPORTANT!!
Found under 'Yasmin/Yaz contraceptive wikipedia'

"In 2008, a series of television commercials prompted the FDA to cite Bayer for overstating the approved uses of Yaz while failing to adequately address the risks of the drug. Bayer was required to dispel the inaccurate information contained in those ads by creating new ads that clarified the drug's approved uses.[1][2] On October 8th, 2009, Bayer disclosed that 129 lawsuits had been brought against them over the side effects and marketing of Yaz and Yasmine.[1] The allegations include (but are not limited to): Glossing over risks associated with the products and overstating their approved uses in an effort to mislead users of Yaz and Yasmin into believing that the drugs were safe.[1][2][3][4]Failure to properly research the medication.[3]Failing to recall the drug after post-marketing reports demonstrated that the risk of potentially life-threatening side effects of Yasmin and Yaz outweighed potential benefits that could be achieved via other available oral contraceptives.[1][3] In September 2009, the FDA cited Bayer for sending out potentially low-quality batches of drosperinone. Bayer justified the shipments by explaining that they monitor the “average” quality of all shipments, not the quality of each individual batch.[3]"

My GP recommended this pill three and a half months ago and i have been getting intense headaches (so bad my vision is blurred and i get dizzy), intense sickness and throwing up, severe exhaustion (i can't really stay awake for longer than a few hours without a nap) and i'm really emotional.
After reading through this thread i googled this pill and the above is what i found. Am really annoyed that my GP prescribed me this pill -i even went back two weeks ago and virtually begged to be prescribed another pill after the symptoms i've been having and she said NO and wrote me out another three month prescription to 'see how it goes'!!! I'm absolutely disgusted and am coming off Yaz immediately, i hope the rest of you will follow, it's not safe!

Especially after reading Kay's post about being on her way to a stroke because of it, she's 28! It's absolutely disgusting

[x.st.angel.x]

I fully agree, i read a report similar to this a while back and i come off in 3 more days.

[mara86]

I was on yaz for about two years, and I got off it about 3 months ago. After my experience with yaz (which thankfully wasn't nearly as bad as what a lot of other women go through with that pill), I'm done with hormonal birth control forever! Before being on yaz, I was on levlen 28 for 3 years. I got paragard put in about 3 months ago (I've never had children), and I really like it. Planned Parenthood put it in for me, and my insurance covered most of the cost. I only paid a 30 dollar co-pay, and paragard is good for about 10 years! It's great to no longer put synthetic hormones into my system. It's also nice to not have to remember to take the pill. I feel like myself for the first time since I was 18 (which was when I first went on the pill).

I didn't really get noticeable side effects on levlen aside from being overly emotional and prone to just completely losing it over really insignificant issues. I was on levlen when I was 18-21, and I lived a healthy lifestyle, so those factors probably mitigated some of the side effects. I still got some pretty scary side effects with yaz when I was 22/23, however. Yaz made me really emotional, killed my libido and ultimately made it difficult for me to deal with situations that no longer bother me now that I'm synthetic hormone free. The scariest side effects I got on yaz were blurry vision and headaches. Although I'm not sure they were directly connected to yaz, I've read stories of a lot of other women getting blurry vision and headaches in tandem with taking yaz.

After going off yaz, I've also lost some weight and noticed more tone/definition from lifting weights. Curiously, my skin is clearer than it has been in years. I know that chemically speaking, the synthetic hormones in pills like yaz prevent acne by blocking androgens (male hormones). But since the pill made me so emotional and illogical, I think it contributed to higher levels of stress. Being more stressed out equaled more acne, at least in my case.

I just feel so much more level and reasonable. Putting hormones into your body can be some scary business.

So far, I haven't gotten any side effects from paragard. My period is back just as medium-heavy I remember it being in high school. I think the cramps might be a bit worse than they used to be, but that's normal for the first couple of months you have the paragard in. The pain isn't anything that an ibuprofen won't take care of, however.

[ReeNa8589]

I was on yaz for about two years, and I got off it about 3 months ago. After my experience with yaz (which thankfully wasn't nearly as bad as what a lot of other women go through with that pill), I'm done with hormonal birth control forever! Before being on yaz, I was on levlen 28 for 3 years. I got paragard put in about 3 months ago (I've never had children), and I really like it. Planned Parenthood put it in for me, and my insurance covered most of the cost. I only paid a 30 dollar co-pay, and paragard is good for about 10 years! It's great to no longer put synthetic hormones into my system. It's also nice to not have to remember to take the pill. I feel like myself for the first time since I was 18 (which was when I first went on the pill).

I didn't really get noticeable side effects on levlen aside from being overly emotional and prone to just completely losing it over really insignificant issues. I was on levlen when I was 18-21, and I lived a healthy lifestyle, so those factors probably mitigated some of the side effects. I still got some pretty scary side effects with yaz when I was 22/23, however. Yaz made me really emotional, killed my libido and ultimately made it difficult for me to deal with situations that no longer bother me now that I'm synthetic hormone free. The scariest side effects I got on yaz were blurry vision and headaches. Although I'm not sure they were directly connected to yaz, I've read stories of a lot of other women getting blurry vision and headaches in tandem with taking yaz.

After going off yaz, I've also lost some weight and noticed more tone/definition from lifting weights. Curiously, my skin is clearer than it has been in years. I know that chemically speaking, the synthetic hormones in pills like yaz prevent acne by blocking androgens (male hormones). But since the pill made me so emotional and illogical, I think it contributed to higher levels of stress. Being more stressed out equaled more acne, at least in my case.

I just feel so much more level and reasonable. Putting hormones into your body can be some scary business.

So far, I haven't gotten any side effects from paragard. My period is back just as medium-heavy I remember it being in high school. I think the cramps might be a bit worse than they used to be, but that's normal for the first couple of months you have the paragard in. The pain isn't anything that an ibuprofen won't take care of, however.

I too havent had any children and got Paragard inserted just fine with barely any pain during insertion..just mostly uncomfortable. I did get an infection (as you can see if you read my post) but I was told it was from getting used to his sperm since I never let anything happen without a condom. The infection is gone to my knowledge but still going for check-up Friday. I have some spotting here and there and once in a while get a cramp, but ibuprofen takes care of that. Other than that, I love it too!! Just hoping it dont expel or cause complications, but fingers are crossed

[Stina]

I'm going into my 4th cycle on Yaz.

My first two cycles were absolutely awful. I would burst into tears for no reason, felt depressed a few days before my period and felt crampy all month long. Luckily, I only felt nauseous 1 or 2 days this entire time, which has been a problem for me in the past with Ortho Evra and Ortho Tri-Cyclin.

I do still feel crampy at odd times of the month, like after my period and around my usual ovulation time, which seems a bit odd to me. (Shouldn't be ovulating while on the pill, right?) However, this could be related to cysts or endometriosis or who knows what else. I'm currently trying to figure that out.

Anyway, my skin looks and feels better than ever now and I've been able to maintain and even lose a little weight. My period doesn't seem to have changed much, still just as heavy and as long. My sex drive has taken a hit and I do seem to have trouble getting lubricated. I'm not sure if I'm going to stay on it or not.

[Mes T]

Stina, have you considered other pills or even an IUD? I just think that those side effects that you're still experiencing aren't necessary...

[Hibernian_Naiad]

I am 27, have been taking Yaz for a couple of months, and recently decided to discontinue the medication. I did extensive research about the pill before taking my first dose, and was prepared for at least three months of unpleasant side-effects (nausea, headaches, spotting/bleeding, etc.) before seeing results, which, due to the extremely painful and heavy periods I have experienced for some time, seemed like a worthwhile trade-off.

A year or so after my menses started, I began taking a series of hormonal birth control pills, to help alleviate very unpleasant and painful menstrual symptoms (that I later discovered to be endometriosis). I don't remember the brand names of all the pills I tried over the course of a couple years, but I do remember taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen. Because of my adverse reactions to these medications, I stopped hormonal therapy all together for several years. Between 18-21 I was on Depo-Provera for 6-9 months at a time, though I eventually discontinued this as well due to side-effects.

Two months ago, I began taking Yaz to help minimize my pain and bleeding (though I have a ParaGuard IUC as my bc of choice), and was optimistic that, perhaps, this newer formulation of hormones would work better for me. I gave an extremely (probably annoyingly) thorough medical history to my doctor, including details about my previous experiences with hormonal birth control, current diagnoses and conditions (including major clinical depression for which I take medication), symptoms past and present, and just about anything else a doctor might need to know.

Initially, I experienced symptoms of constant, extreme nausea (for about 3 weeks) and occasional vomiting, headaches (for about 10 days), breast soreness, and moderate spotting. However, the spotting was preferable to the three previous months that I'd been bleeding and in pain almost constantly, and I had expected the nausea, breast tenderness and headaches.

Unfortunately, the nausea never went away, but became intermittant. I had a span of about 10 days that I had virtually no pain or bleeding, but it was regrettably short-lived.

Some of the side-effects that I have been experiencing in my second month have included: extreme sleepiness (12-16 hours a day at times) alternating with insomnia (which I have dealt with for some time, but has become worse); very low and sharp abdominal pains; severe stomach aches after eating; sharp pains (almost cramp-like) in my biceps and left shoulder; stiff neck and upper back (possibly from sleeping so much); drastic decrease in urine output, combined with it being much darker and having a strange, strong odor; a feeling of emotional numbness; extreme lethargy; vague muscle pain; mild flu-like symptoms; and sore throat.

The most serious side-effect, however, started not long before my decision to stop the medication. I started becoming teary in situations that would normally not elicit that reaction from me, and finally, being unable to control my very intense crying (with no catalyst) at work over the course of 4 hours (thankfully, it was an overnight shift). Though I have dealt with serious depression for years, these emotional symptoms are completely unlike what I experience during a depressive episode. I felt deeply sad, unhappy and hopeless in a way altogether different from my clinical depression symptoms.

I will be discontinuing the Yaz with my next dose, and will be trying alternative methods to deal with my symptoms of endometriosis. I was very hopeful that, despite the many negative reviews of Yaz that I found online, it would help me regulate my hormones and cycles. Unfortunately, it did not work for me; however, I have also read many positive reviews of this medication, and strongly believe that the success or failure of hormonal treatments depends largely on the body and chemical makeup of the person taking them.

I will be seeing my primary care physician on Dec. 8th, and will be having her check me out to make sure no permanent or serious damage has been done (I'm a bit concerned that the medication may have affected my kidneys and/or bladder). I would STRONGLY encourage those of you who are currently struggling with negative side-effects from this medication to discuss the issues you're having with your doctor, even if you're planning on continuing. And, if your doctor tries to discount your symptoms, find a different one who will listen!

[It is important to note that many of the more minor side-effects, such as nausea, were greatly reduced by making sure that I took my pill at exactly the same time each night (which is a challenge for me), and that I would start experiencing side effects such as cramping, nausea and headaches within a couple hours of the missed dosage time. So if any of you are experiencing unpleasant side-effects, but would like to try sticking it out for a while longer, it might be worth a try to set an alarm and take it at precisely the same time every day, and see if that helps to alleviate any of the symptoms.]

[RN2B]

Well I started Yaz at age 22, I was totally healthy and had never been sick a day in my life (other than common colds and a GI illness or two). About four months into taking YAZ, I developed nausea and abdominal cramps that lasted about 48 hours and the nauesa and vomiting progessivly became worse. I went to my primary doctor who sent me to the hospital for IV fluids and tests and I was diagnosed with a "necrotic gall bladder". I went immediatly to the operating room and had it removed. During the sickness I'm sure my body did not absorb the BCP's and I did not recieve them in the hospital. I had 2 periods before restarting YAZ.
Then 2 months later I began having feelings of dizziness. My primary doctor gave me a medication for vertigo. Then I felt weak, like I was going to pass out if I stood from a sitting position or bent over and returned upright quickly...my doctor told me to drink more water. Then I developed headaches and constant arm pit sweating as the previous symptoms became worse. I recieved a prescription antiperperant and started medication for hypertension and added another vertigo medication that basically sedated me. This all occured over a 8 month period after re-starting YAZ and I realized I had gained 22 lbs over that time, when I felt like all the time. I talked to my primary MD and GYN MD and neither offered a solution except both offered me antidepressents and added ANOTHER pill for blood pressure. At the advice of my then fiance I started those: so I am 22 and taking 5 medications/day and generally feel like .
At the advice of my mother I went to see an endocrinologist (my mom thoght I had thyroid issues). She (the new doctor) did a massive amount of blood work and met with me two different times. On the second visit she told me to stop YAZ and see her in two months....I go back and my B/P is low and she tells me there is ALOT of info coming out about YAZ...she tells me I can try stopping B/P, anti-deppressants, and vertigo meds. I go back at 2,4,6 and 8 weeks following that and I have had ZERO dizzy spells, my blood pressure is normal, I do not feel depressed, and I am shedding pounds. The endocrinologist then informed me that she felt YAZ may have been responsible for my gall bladder disease at such a young age. She sent me to see my GYN who said YAZ was a GREAT drug he had never heard of any problems with it. He reluctanly gave me ortho-tricyclene.
I later changed to another GYN and now have a Mirena IUD that is AWESOME

[Stina]

Stina, have you considered other pills or even an IUD? I just think that those side effects that you're still experiencing aren't necessary...

I have been thinking about an IUD.

I'm not sure if this is supposed to happen, but I still keep feeling my usual mid-cycle ovulation cramps/lower back pain I felt when not on any BC. Always 17 days after my last period, without fail. Aren't you not supposed to ovulate while on BC? I don't get it.

[MsModelGirl]

Yaz

I was on Yaz for almost 2 years and never had any issues except for mild nausea the first week I started to take it. It completely cleared my horrible acne and got rid of all of my severe PMS symptoms as well as shortened my period by half.

I recently gave up Yaz to try out an IUD and had Mirena inserted on January 5. I already have to take meds every day for my hypothyroidism and didn't want to have to keep worrying about my birth control pill too. I figure 5 years of protection without pills was the way to go for me :-) .

I have been thinking about an IUD.

I'm not sure if this is supposed to happen, but I still keep feeling my usual mid-cycle ovulation cramps/lower back pain I felt when not on any BC. Always 17 days after my last period, without fail. Aren't you not supposed to ovulate while on BC? I don't get it.

Some women completely stop ovulation while some just ovulate infertile eggs.