Yaz and side effects and benefits

[Toya22]

I've been taking Yaz for about 3 months now and I have been very angry and stressed, and at my last physical my doctor told me that my blood pressure was too high, which I never ever had a problem with and my cholesterol was also very high, which i never had a problem with.  I have also gained a few lbs and despite changing my diet and exercising I have not lost 1 lbs.  And now after reading all of these posts i'm definitely quiting tomorrow.  Now my only worry is the side effects of getting off of the pill.

[mirandavilla]

i knew it may happen too from the pill...my bp today was 153/83 and that is sorta creaping up.....so i have cut out all salts in my diet and that may lower the bp a bit too, it can help to lower it.

please try and relax i know this is easier said than doen because i have a very high strung personality or i should say am very very sensitive.....

i know for me exercising, aerobic exercise lowered my blood pressure in the past.....to be honest i have been on Levora for one week now and my pants are very very tight i think i am holding a lot of fluid from the pill, i can feel it and yes i hate it and get angry too...but i will try and drink water, sleep, exercise, and cook from scratch

[stormy4032]

My 18 year old daughter has been on Yaz for 4 months now.  Last night she told me that she thinks this pill is making her angry and stressed.  She has been fighting with her boyfriend and having very depressing thoughts.  I did not think it was related to the pill until I read your post and talked to one of her girlfriends who had the same experience.  I think I will talk to her about switching brands.  Good luck to you.

[Staceinurface]

I just began taking YAZ two weeks ago.  I was on ortho/lo but it was giving me mild mood swings, and making me feel violent so my doc switched me to YAZ.  After hearing the commercial I was actually excited about starting YAZ, the first week was fine, no side effects what so ever, but the begining of the second week, a lot began to change.  I started feeling very depressed and alone, I was taking EVERYTHING personal....every little thing has me in tears.  I'm at work right now almost in tears over small stuff.  I've never been this depressed in my life, I've had many suicidial thoughts.  I've been with my partner for a year now...but my partner has left me for a week to prevent us from fighting over something stupid...my partner also took the gun so I couldn't use it..
I just feel so angry, anxious, depressed, suicidal, extremly tired, severe headaches, I don't feel like myself.  I miss the old me.  Today I'm starting to not take them and praying I can have the old me back.

[mwildeagle]

I have been taking yaz for 6 months. It made me depressed and angry. I had a problem sleeping. I had a heartattack. It made my blood clot abnormal so  a clot got caught in my artery. What saved me is, I use to excercise everyday for 20 to 30 minutes. Beware when taking yaz. I am 35 years old and had heartattack.

[CoriLov3]

I am 15 years old, and I had been on YAZ for 3 months a while back for Acne, but did not get a prescription for it after the 3 month trial because of the physical required.  I have been thinking about getting back on it lately because my acne has gotten much worse, and it seemed a little better when I was on it. But after reading all of these messages I think I will look into another option. I am deppressed enough as it is lately, I don't need YAZ helping me get worse.  Thanks everyone =]

[Renrut89]

I have been on Yaz for a year now and thought that I was just battling depression. I have felt increasingly alone, even though I have been with my boyfriend for way longer than that and has been with me practically everyday. I've been told by him that he thinks I've changed, and I know I've changed as well. I take everything personally now and seem to feel constantly attacked and incredibly depressed.
I recently found out that many people have had to be taken off this because of the mood swings and feelings that come near the time of your period. I've realized, by rereading my journal for the past year, this is what is happening to me. It's during that time that thoughts of suicide come and I had tended to start a petty fight with either my boyfriend or friends and have it blow-up way out of proportion.

I'd recommend that if you are considering using Yaz; Don't. Yes, it helps with acne and there is a chance that you won't have these side effects, but honestly, it's not worth the risk. It's changed who I was for the past year and it was one of the worst, most depressing and angry years.

I've been off it for two months now and feel like a different person, I have my life back and the depression/ mood swings have vanished, without using depression pills or any of that.

Hope this helps someone

[annod182001]

I recently had a baby and my doctor prescribed YAZ to regulate my periods.  I have been taking the pill for 3 months and I have been miserable.  I have started having violent outbursts for no reason, emotional breakdowns, I feel so alone and depressed.  I yell at people for no reason at all and every morning I wake up with a nasty headache. I have recently started feeling sick in the mornings (almost like morning sickness and there is no way that I am pregnant).  I started having spotting and I was in the middle of the pack. My baby would scream for hours at night and I would have fits of rage and have to put him down and walkaway in fear that I would have a serious meltdown.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am an outgoing, fun-loving person who enjoys life and loves my kids more than anything in the world.  Since I have started taking the pill, I have become more irritable with my 3 year old and "lost my cool" a time or two. I have never been one to yell at my son and I did the other day and I have no ideal why.  I urge anyone with kids who have been prescribed this pill to stop taking it NOW! It has had an impact on me as a mother and not for the good.  My children deserve the best side of me that they can get.  
It amazes me that after reading all these negative comments that the drug companies havent looked into this situation deeper.  The FDA seems to approve drugs anymore that only cause more harm than good. The Government allows testing of different things that cause cancer, everyday its something new and rediculous. "The color of your toliet paper could be linked to cancer, tonight on our top stories". Instead of throwing away billions of dollars to find "farout" links to the cause of cancer, start using those billions to test the drugs that are already out on the market.

[Angie975]

Has anyone had any problems with severe sweating due to taking Yaz?  The smallest activity makes me sweat and I can't figure out what has changed other than the pill.

[ChelleK87]

I need to have everyone that has dealt with me for the past 2 weeks read this-as they don't think its my birth control.  I am usually a very happy and joyful person, it takes a lot to bring me down.  But the past 2 weeks I have felt on the verge of depression, I have cried myself to sleep every night, I have cried over some dumb things, I am crying now over reading this, I have snapped at people, I have been miserable.  I can't take it anymore I am switching birth controls as this is ridiculous.  I was excited to start this at first as my gyno was all about and talking about how wonderful it is.  

[Nicole2010]

I'm 16 yrs. old and I have been on Yaz for 3 weeks and a day. I haven't stoped bleeding since I started. I have craps all the time and my back is always hurting me. I have been depressed more than I have every before and I'm have really bad head aches and I can't even keep my balance.

[becky3737]

I've been taking yaz for five months and i've been getting increasingly sick every morning. i have severe headaches and i have very bad depression now, and i have anxiety problems that i've never had to deal with before. i never even realized that yaz could be making me a different person until i read this blog, and realized that every single symptom that other people posted, i have been experiencing too. for anyone that is wondering if they should take yaz or not, DO NOT TAKE IT!!!!!

[jdrake77]

What a Godsend this page has been!!! I thought I had totally lost my mind! I am almost done with my second pack of Yaz, after reading this and confirming the side effects I am DONE for good!!! In the past month I have experienced, anxiety, depression, nausea, yeast infection, weight gain (there I didn't need any help!!), anger issues, extreme feeling of stress, MOODY, headaches, feeling empty inside,  the list can go on and on as you all are well aware....WOW....all from 1 little tiny pill. Who would have thought?!?! My question is how long does it take to return to 'normal' after you stop taking the pill? I would like to return to being an asset to fmy amily instead of a ticking time bomb!! I'm sure my husband would greatly appreciate it as well!!! ;o) Thank you all so much for sharing/posting all of your experiences, I feel better already knowing that I'm not having a nervous breakdown or alone with my feelings. I wish you all the best!!
Jamie

[Daisy884]

I have been on YAZ over a year, the first month or two I was depressed, but it got better!  I LOVE it!!  Its made my skin so pretty, and my periods only last three days and are very light, i don't have cramps, etc, etc, etc!  Just give it time...maybe people who are still depressed have depression or something?  Or maybe its just different for different people?  I just know that its the best for me! :)

[jsaw08]

I took Yaz for 7 months before I got pregnant with my son and I loved it. It gave me shorter lighter periods and I lost a little bit of weight. Then after I had my son my Dr. put me on ortho/lo, but it made me have abnormal bleeding while taking the pill so we swapped back to Yaz. I still like being on it. It seems to curb my appetite so it is easier for me to diet. But I know that different people have different effects from medications and Yaz is not for everyone.

[Shygirl7]

I just switched from Yasmin to Yaz 3 weeks ago.Ever since I started this new BC I have had sever stomach pain and nausea.Everything I eat I get sick.I have lost about 14lbs in  last 3weeks. I haven't had the depression yet.I can't go on like this anymore.My Dr.'s have run so  many test on me this month and they did not even rule out my new BC.Im going to switch back to Yasmin on Wednesday.

[donnaann82]

I have been on Yaz for a month and two weeks. This past week I have been having chest pain, and I am 26. It also has made my acid reflux worse.  I am going to the doctors tommorow to get a check up and ask about this. Also, since taking this pill I have been eating like a pregnant girl- that's the best way to discribe my wanting to eat. I have never been pregant, but no I think I know the feeling of just wanting to eat. Let me tell you, I have not felt like this since I was in high school, so its a no brainer that its the pill. The only real reason I am taking this pill is for my face, so I can stop breaking out. But seriously the chest pain is just not worth it. I think I am not going to take this pill anymore.

[barbie70]

Just to let you know.  I have been on YAZ for about 7 months now and I love it.  At first it was difficult because I was constantly bleeding.  I cant say I have any more anger or depressing feeling s than a normal person would if they were upset.  I feel great, along with exercise and diets I have lost 18 pounds and these pills are not making me gain a pound.  I have only had high blood pressure one time and I have been diagnosed with Migraines.  Maybe those experiencing some of these other symptoms should talk to a doctor about these so called side effects actually being something else.  Just my opinion. Thanks for letting me share this with you.

[gallo50]

I have been following this forum for quite a while and have decided to add my 2 cents.  My 34 year old daughter had a massive stroke on August 26th.  Due to her medical and physical history the doctors all agree that this was caused by her birth control pills, YAZ.  She has NEVER smoked, has ALWAYS excersied, and eats a very healthy diet. No history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. etc.  During the year prior to her stroke she had become extremely depressed, angry and anxious for no apparent reason.  Well, since they took her pills away (because of the stroke) she is no longer depressed!  To those of you who think that this pills is OK, I hope you never have this happen to you.  It was not immediate with my daughter, things progressed over time.  Not 1 of her physicians had ever made the connection of the pill and depression, but I saw it all first hand.  This had been so bad that she is sadly calling her stroke, her "stroke of luck" because she now has her life back!!!!  I am just glad she still has a life and feel lucky to still have her.  She now has a non-hormonal IUD and can never take hormones again.  BE CAREFUL you are playing with fire!

[ebowl003]

I have been on YAZ for almost a year now (march 3 will be 1 year) and until i read the comments on this website i never connected anything to my birth control pill.  Since taking YAZ i have gained 15 pounds, have heart burn, sweat ALL THE TIME for no reason and have an annoying discharge.  my periods last for 5-7 days and they are heavy until day 3 or 4.  I am 21 years old, I am active, i work out, i eat decently, i rarley drink.  After reading these posts I have started to make a connection to these problems that I have been having.  Unfortunately I do not have an Doctors appointment until march so I have to put up with this, but I am definately going to ask to be switched to something different.  Thanks for the help!!

[lbrogan07]

I have been on YAZ for 7 months now. I was on Orthotriclycling before i got pregnant. I decided to change BC after i gave birth to my son. I noticed that i get angry very easily , the smallest things annoy me. Also, after I had my baby, i started losing weighed very fast and was a lower weight than i was before i got pregnant. A couple of months ago i started gaining it all back. I am only 20 and have been a small eater my entire life , therefore i know thats not the problem. I am very tired all the time and didnt even consider that YAZ could be causing all these problems.

[ineedhelp640]

I have been taking Yaz since I was 16 years old to help manage my extreme periods. I recently stopped taking the pill for a while due to moving which caused me to skip at least a month of the pill (because of perscription problems) after being off of the pill for about two months I started retaking it.  I gained about 20 pounds over a few months and it has killed my sex drive (even when I want to I cannot become aroused). Also, my exercise increase in exercise has not at all helped with the weight.  Another problem I have experienced is the first two yeast infections I have ever had and a UTI. I didn't know where this was all coming from because I had been on yaz for such a long time but now thinking back I realize that all of this occured around the time I started retaking the pill.  Does anyone else have a similar story? I feel like my body is not my own anymore and I'm afraid to stop taking this pill and take another one because i'm afraid to gain another 20 pounds!!!

[knpeterson]

I have only been on Yaz for a week. I quit taking BC pills in Nov. and went to a barrier method of bc. I thought I had become pregnant and had a m/c because I had tons of prg. syptoms (symptoms) and bleeding "stuff" for 3 weeks. I found out I had an ovarian cyst and endometriosis and something else (test not came back yet).  Cyst can cause preg. symptoms. Dr. put me on Yaz and said it would help all of my problems. I had all of the extreme moodiness and emotions that everyone talks about BEFORE the pill. I feel better now as far as that goes but I have beeen suffering from extreme migrains.  I have had three already this week. I will certainly watch for other syptoms (symptoms) though.  I quit taking the pill before because I had NO sex drive whatsoever and I was tired of hormones. Now Dr. says I have to take them to make me better.  Frustrating!

[ineedhelp640]

alot of people have said they switched to yaz from yazmin. Why did you all stop yasmin?

[123L1ola]

I have been taking Yaz going on 3 weeks now. I promise, its my last! I have had sensative nipples, crying for no reason, and snapping at my boyfriend I guess because hes breathing...I dont know whats going on! I used Desagen for 10 years and had no problems (mentally) but my skin had mild breakouts. My dermatolgist said to change bc and thats when EVERYTHING has changed. I tried Yasmin, NO WAY! I tried the NuvaRing, NO WAY! So, when i tried Yaz, I was so excited because I had no side effects my first week besides nite sweats. The next week, I noticed a rage of anger once or twice towards my boyfriend, but still nothing serious. Now Im in the third week, and all I can think is poor pityful me! I take everything so perssonal, already yelled at Trent for NO REASON, and now I just feel alone and depressed with sore nipples. This stuff is awful! I dont know what to try next? Im nervous about trying anything new after all this! Whats next, a messy diaphram? Lost and confused, Thanks for listening!

[mac0907]

I just finished my first month of Yaz and this has been one of the hardest few weeks I have ever experienced in my life. I just got off my depression medication a month ago and I started Yaz in an attempt to control mood swings and depression due to pms. This month all my symptoms were worse. I became extremely angry at anyone and anything, I had more cramps than ever before, and I had very depressed thoughts daily. On top of all that my period lasted two weeks, and last night I had a migraine so intense I thought i was going blind. Reading this page helped me realize Yaz was probably the cause of all these problems, and I'm very happy this page is here. Thank you.

[Shelly8482]

My doctor just started me on Yaz. I havent started it yet but after reading this I dont know if I am going to. I am on 2 anti depressants for my depression and my anxicity. I dont have bad skin all I have is pain from my endometriosis. So if anyone could help me with a good BC to use that doesnt case wild mood swings and no weight gain please email me and let me know. ivys_mommy***@****. PLEASE help me.

[123L1ola]

Try Desagen. I had no side effects on anything. My libido, mood, energy and sanity was ever effected by Desagen. I hope this helps.

[lolabyrd]

Shelly- please know that birth control is a very personal thing.   I was on Orthotricyclin LOW and its effect on me was awful- as scary as some of these posts.  My husband and I almost divorced because of my emotional state- and I was the one pushing for it!!

I've been on Yaz for six months, and I couldn't be happier.  My mood has been stable, I don't have any of the pms craziness that I got on the OT birth control.  I would give a try to what your doctor prescribes and go from there.  The good thing about BC is that there are so many out there, they all work, and they all react differently depending on your chemistry.  

[SammieLeigh]

Oh My God! After reading these...I know it was the Yaz thats been making me crazy since May. It took me forever to realize that since I've been taking it, I have been the most down in the dumps person I have ever been. I was never like this, I was that happy loser girl who did everything because it was fun....since May, when I started on Yaz, I became the EXTREME  opposite. My sex drive decreased, I snapped at everyone, including my mother, who is my bestfriend, I get angry with my boyfriend over absolutely nothing, and the worthless feeling and suicidal thoughts are just a whole other category...I just switched today to Loestrin 24, hoping that the low dose of estrogen can help me.I gained an extreme amount of weight on Yaz, when I started it I was within normal weight range for my height and age. I was 138 lbs, now, 8 months later, I am over 150 lbs...I have always been a self conscious girl..and gaining weight so rapidly killed me....I never would have linked the 2 together if my sister hadn't asked me what pill I was on...Just the other night i saw the new commercial for Yaz, where they talk about how the FDA wanted to clear things up...I am just trying to warn anybody who does not experience SEVERE PMDD or PMS symptoms to not take this pill...I swear it has reverse side effects on people who have "normal"-so to speak- periods....really talk to your doctor if you or your daughter is thinking of going on birth control...because I don't want anyone to have the same side effects I had, and realize that this pill made you feel this way, before it was too late. Good luck to all the women who gained weight on this pill and felt as worthless as I did. Be strong ladies.Hopefully  you'll be beautifully back to normal soon!

[tricia657]

i actually love Yaz....its makin me lose weight...my face is clear...i get minor side effects just like anyother pill....you cant take someone elses advice for a pill that you have never taken because every body reacts different. im very happy with yaz!

[holly_]

I switched from Yasmine to Yaz around May 2008.  I just recently stopped taking it 2-3 months ago.  After reading all of your comments I realize that I too had symtoms from YAZ.  I'm not sure about the depression, I had a lot going on at the time.  I'm sure the YAZ didn't help.  I do recall having a lot of clotting when I wasn't supposed to be having my cycle.  Also, I noticed that after I stopped, my night sweats completely disappeared.  My problem now is, I think my body is trying to normal itself ( I hope) from being on bc for 3-4 years.  I cramped for a while and still do occasionally.  I am having a horrible time losing weight.  In fact, I feel like I've gained since going off the BC.  In addition, one of my breasts is noticeably larger than the other and SUPER sore.  I'm thinking and hoping that it's just my body trying to normal itself after being on BC for so long.  Anyone else have these issues after stopping BC?

[startheory]

I've been on Yaz for about 6 months now. At first I hated it. My breasts were sore for the first 3 months, I ate everything in sight, then I noticed 3 weeks into the pill pack, I would become extremely depressed. Most of the bad things went away after 3 months. I think most of you need to give it a try. Start keeping better track of your mood swings- I was tracking mine by making mental notes. I have noticed a drop in my sex drive but I still get aroused with I'm with my boyfriend. Everyone is going to react differently to it. I do have to admit its cleared my skin tremendously and that my periods are much lighter and cramps are less. I don't think I'll be trying another pill any time soon cause I'm happy after adjusting to it :)

[elizabeth87]

A month ago my dermatologist placed me on Yaz to control my acne, and I've always been hesitant to go on birth control, but there were no other acne pills for me to use that I hadn't already used.

At first everything was OK, I didn't even notice anything different. However, I have been on Yaz for a month, am due to get my period and a) My period's not coming and b) I have been "spotting"/bleeding for the past week instead. On Monday I woke up with AWFUL stomach pains that didn't feel like cramps, but I presume it was? And today, I am also suffering from INCREDIBLE stomach pain, neck pain, nausea, headache, and light-headedness. I am not on any other medication and nothing else in my life has changed aside from this pill. Prior to this I had normal periods that weren't unbearable, and I was not walking around feeling like I'm dying - the way I've felt for the past few days.

I realize now that I too have been suffering from night sweats, the only side effect that I've had the past few weeks - at first I thought my apartment was too hot or that I slept with too many covers; but every day for the past few weeks I've woken up with a damp shirt. It must be the Yaz!

I'm done with this pack and not getting another one, it's not worth it!

[shezmoida]

This pill changed my life for the worst! It turned me from happy and vivacious to depressed, anxious, lonely, suicidal etc. My husband noticed the difference immediately. After one week of discontinuing this pill I already feel that I am on my way back to normalcy! I no longer cry myself to sleep each night or feel like my husband hates me for nothing at all!
WARNING... YAZ and YASMIN can be extremely dangerous! Be very cautious when taking this form of birth control! I wouldn't return to this pill even if offered $10,000,000 to do so! Who cares about a few zits, this is emotional stability we're talking about, relationships affected, lives ruined. DON'T DO IT!

[DoNotTakeYaz]

I'm sorry this is so long but PLEASE READ IT.  I was on Yaz for about 2 years (I started taking it when I was 21 and I'm 23 now).  It was great at 1st but after about a year of being on it, I started to notice the side effects.  I had NO idea what was causing the side effects (never thought it was Yaz), so it really took a toll on my emotional health.  For the longest time I thought I had a brain tumor.  I couldn't think straight and seemed to suffer from memory loss.  If someone asked me a simple question I couldn't come up with a good answer - I felt stupid!  I could have a conversation in the morning and forget about it by evening..which was embarrassing when it was brought back up.  I had extreme pains in my head.  They weren't headaches or migraines, just a strange pain in the right side of my brain...which is why I thought I had a brain tumor.  When I asked my doctor he said he was going to "categorize it as a headache" although I told him it was NOT a headache - and he charged me $80 to tell me that!  I was in Target one day and started feeling very strange.  I saw a bright light, got a really bad pain in my brain, felt like I was going to pass out, and started crying.  I grabbed my boyfriend and he took me to urgent care.  He looked scared to death when he saw me.  The doctor there tried to give me a shot and some Tylenol but I didn't take it because it wasn't a headache - even the professionals couldn't help me.  I had absolutely no sex drive.  In fact I didn't have natural lubrication anymore.  I was so dry that it was painful to have sex - I know this is personal, but people need to hear this.  I suffered from night sweats every night accompanied by terrible nightmares.  I'd wake up soaked every night, which is something I'd never done before.  It eventually got so bad that I was having suicidal thoughts - I couldn't sleep, I thought I was going crazy, I was dangerously depressed, I had terrible pains in my head/brain, I had no sex drive (I'm only 23) and no one seemed to have an answer.  There were a number of times that I wanted to jump out of a car, slit my wrist, or shoot myself.  I know this all sounds crazy, but it was all caused by Yaz and if I can get just one person to listen to me it's worth the embarrassment of saying this.  Before Yaz, I was always happy and optimistic - it turned me into a negative, bitter, unhappy, mean person.  I stopped taking Yaz two weeks ago after I read about so many other women that have had the same side effects as I've had.  The first week, I only had night sweats one night.  This week, I have had none - I even tested it by wearing thick sweat pants and a sweater to bed...I didn't sweat at all.  I still have headaches, but they're not as bad.  I'm hoping they'll go away eventually.  I'm SOOO much happier.  My sex drive is back (which makes my bf happy) and my natural lubrication came back after about a week.  I can watch "Who Wants to Be a Millionare" again and get questions right!  My memory is slowly getting better - I don't know if Yaz permanently damaged my brain, but if so I would love to sue the **** out of Bayer.  Ladies, I know Yaz seems wonderful at 1st, trust me I loved it, but PLEASE STOP TAKING IT!  Some women experience the bad side effects right away, but it took a long time for me and I'm afraid some of them may be permanent.  It blows my mind that Yaz is still on the market.  I guess it's going to take a death before anyone listens.  I was very close to ending my life....how many girls may have killed themselves already because of this drug?  This is a serious problem.  Please tell everyone you know about the bad side effects of Yaz.  The word needs to get out.        

[DoNotTakeYaz]

Oh, also, when I had to go to Urgent Care after what happened in Target, I couldn't explain the situation thoroughly to the doctor.  I really couldn't think clearly enough to tell him what happened 5 minutes ago!  He looked at me like I was stupid.  

[CCSunflower]

I am 25 years old and have been on some form of birth control since I was 17 years old. First I started with Ortho, but then thought it would be amazing to switch to the Depo shot...hey no period so I was all about it. Until I turned 23 are realized I wanted a period, my body is supposed to have one so I should. After a few months of not taking anything I went back to Ortho, but was suffering severe PMS and dreadful cramps the first day of my period.

So, at my yearly physical (Sept. 2008) I told my Doctor, she switched me to Yaz. Since Sept. 2008 I have not had a period and take a pregnancy test every month because I am so freaked out. Not to mention that I have been crying over nothing, getting upset about things I never get upset about...I start fights with my boyfriend constantly about nothing. It has gotten so bad that it has put a huge rift in our relationship. It was not until I thought the other day, maybe its the pills. They are the only thing that has changed in my life recently. So I found this website and read everyone's responses. I felt like I wrote every single one. I am so relieved that it is not me! I thought I may be bipolar or something.

As for those who wish to take this pill for acne....it is not worth it. This pill has almost destroyed the most important relationship in my life. This pill has made me hate myself and my life. I never ever felt that way before. I have always struggled with acne, but went to a dermatologist who has helped me so much. Also, I gave up on wearing all types of foundation and blush. Any make up I wear is only on my eyes and lips. I do not care if my skin does not look flawless, its looks better then it would with foundation hiding obvious pimples and even worse creating more.  

[laurxoxoxo]

Ladies, thank you so much to all of you! I have been on Yaz for five months, and they have been some of the worst months of my whole entire life. I have absolutely horrible mood swings: I get angry and sad in the blink of an eye. I barely even sleep anymore, I can't concentrate, and all I want to do is just sleep on my couch for the rest of my life.

No one could figure out what the deal was. I am usually such a bright, happy person, but I'd turned into this horrible monster. I was convinced that it couldn't be the Yaz, but it looks like it was! I just took my last pill today, and will never pick up another EVER. Thank you all so much, we really need to get this website some publicity so that more women can find out what they really need to know about Yaz.

Good luck to all of you, and hooray for no Yaz!

[dance011]

After reading through the comments, I noticed very few people mentioned experiencing chest pains.  I have been on Yaz for approximately a month and a half and have experienced on two occasions severe chest pains and shortness of breath.  These symptoms literally last for hours and they are quite scary (and annoying).  I have never had this before and correlated them to be a result of YAZ due to the timing of when I started the medication and began experiencing these pains.  Anyone else experience this?  

[gallo50]

I would advise you to get medical attention now.  Severe chest pain and shortness of breath could be a sign of a blood clot in your lung.  Please consult a physician or get to an emergency room ASAP and be sure to tell them you are on hormonal birth control.

[guardianofthesea]

I hardly ever post on these sites, but I really appreciate everyone's feedback. This is helping me to realize I need to switch Rx's! I started on Yaz 3 months ago after my Dr. told me "it was just like Yasmine." It's not. I was on Yasmine for 3 years, and don't recall having the same side effects. I now feel anxious all the time. I also agree with the writer who said their sex-drive decreased. It now takes far longer to reach an orgasm, then before I started on Yaz. Can anyone else tell me if they felt Yasmine was better then Yaz? Thanks.

[lu22]

I am 26 years old, and was taking Yaz for several months.  It made me VERY depressed, emotional, angry, and just not myself. And caused very irregular periods, spotting throughout the month...I thought maybe it was life circumstance (my husband joined the military and was away training for 5 months, and then deployed to Iraq).  When he was sent to Iraq, I got off the pill...and magically started going back to my normal self :). A few months later I decided to get back on the pill to be prepared for when he comes back for R&R (two week Army leave).  And sure enough, the same changes in my temper occurred.  It was AWFUL! I thought that it was just me...but I now see that this is common.  Stay away from YAZ Birth Control!!!!!!

[Fitformyself]

I am disturbed by how many people are having the same exact problems I am with Yaz.  I have been on it about a year and a half.  Over the course of this time, I thought it was working great.  I lost weight, had more energy, my skin looks great, I have no periods, no cramps...great right?  

Well over time I have noticed (and now my friends and family are noticing it NOW) I am very angry and VERY depressed and anxious.  The only thing that I take is this pill, I was never depressed in my life (I am almost 40).  I cry all the time, feel so alone, have fits of anger....this isn't like me. Towards what would be my period, I am at rock bottom, I have thought of suicide!!  A man I was seeing for a while told me that I was like 2 people: so sweet sometimes yet I would get so angry he didn't recognize me. I would get mean and say cruel things.  My therapist told me she wants me on antidepressants, that is what caused me to do the research on this & I found this site as well as many others. Should this pill still be on the market?

I am on my last pill pack, I have about a week and a half to go.  When I am done with my active pills I now know I have to look out and watch my moods, behavior and anxiety.  I cannot wait to get this out of my life.  I am kicking myself about how long it took me to realize the connection.  I understand not everyone's body works the same, and some people will love this pill.  But it sounds like people are having the same issues: depression.  Keep in mind, it took a long time for me, my friends and my family to see signs in me, well over a year.

[Lawaters]

I have been on yaz for three months. The only side effects i have are going from an A cup to a B. Not complaining :) I used to have crazy pms where I would go into a rage for no reason or cry uncontrolably but all that has changed. My husband can now stand to be around me! I have to agree with the one poster whom said that if you don't have pmdd then you shouldn't take it. maybe it does have an opposite effect for people. There is no magic pill that everyone can take and have no side-effect. If you don't believe me google other forms of birth control and you will see horror stories for them all. Its about find what works for your body, not the latest pill on the market. but for those of you who have EXTREME pms symptoms I would at least give it a try. Also for those who had recently had a baby with serious depression talk to your doctor because it might be postpartum depression.

[leighton704]

I am so glad I came to this forum.  I have been on Yaz for about 7 months and have become extreemly depressed and angry, which I am the complete polar opposite of.  I do not want to get out of bed in the morning, I have been sleeping for 9-10 hours each night, I have major sweating problems, horrible death dreams, thoughts of suicide, confusion, memory loss, zero sex drive and the one thing that made me research the side effect of Yaz was severe sporatic pains in the right side of my brain, and vision loss is my right eye.  I have yet to go to the doctor about this as the vision loss has just occured.  Someone else wrote a bit about the pains in the right side of her brain as well in this forum and that really startled me.  As of today I am stopping all birth control in hopes I will return to NORMAL and checking in with my doctor!

[MelHer18]

Thank you so much every single woman that has posted about Yaz.  I myself thought I was also going crazy.  My boyfriend has completely changed because of how I've been acting.  We're still hanging in there but this has definitely made things that much harder.  I've had the worse headaches I've ever had in my life, and I used to never get headaches.  My doctor put me on a muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory but never told me it could be caused because of the Yaz.  My cholesterol also went up, my blood pressure has been okay though.  I never put two and two together, just thought I was in a depression and was trying to deal with it.  After reading these posts I am quitting birth control all together.  It shouldn't be this difficult.  I have a great boyfriend and this is making me be mean and overly emotional.  It's not worth loosing who you are and possibly losing people you love because of how you behave when on Yaz.  I've been fortunate that he has been putting up with me for the past 5 months because I have been a totally different person. Just today before reading all of this I was going to begin counseling.  I still might because now I have to start doing repair for our relationship.  If you decide to use Yaz please jsut use caution and if you notice changes in your personality quit right away.  It's not just mood changes, it literally changes who you are as a person.  Luckily, I haven't thought about suicide, I'm not the type of person to be depressed so I think that helps to not fall that far but this is ridiculous. Just like another woman posted on here, I also have been different, as in shorter with my daughter and that is not fair to her.  If I would've known it was Yaz I would've stopped a long time ago.  Lately, I've been feeling like I'm a horrible mother when deep inside I know I'm not.  All in all, I am a different person and I love who I used to be.  Now I'm hoping I can get that back soon and maintain the relationships I have in my life.  My boyfriend and I used to spend every night together now it's down to about 3 is that.  Taking birth control (YAZ) was the worst decision we ever made and I regret it.  That's probably the first thing in my life I've said I regret. Anyway I could go on for days about this…please just be aware of who you are and if it changes while on Yaz STOP IMMEDIATELY.

[appgirl]

So, after reading all of these posts, I can't believe I didn't see it sooner.I'm a freshman in college, and last semester was a breeze. But over Christmas break I went on Yaz.  After coming back to school I started not going to class, taking everything personally and crying over nothing.  My friendships and relationship suffered.  So now I have fewer friends, no relationship, and I am probably going to fail a class, and I hate it.  My mom was so worried about me and was thinking I was depressed, because I told her I missed who I was and I feel like I don't know who I am anymore.  Well tonight she found this site and I am not starting my third cycle, at ALL.  It never crossed my mind that this was all from Yaz, but it seems that's exactly why.  I am hoping after a few weeks I'll be back to where I was, or at least close, it seems everyone realized I had changed except me until recently.

[animegoddess04]

Ladies thanks so much for posting yas experience. I have never been on bc b4 & for the past month I have been having swelling & pain on the left side of my abdomen. One day it was so bad i had to go to the hospital & have a ct scan b.c my doctor felt it & thought either i have a blockage or an ovarian cyst that had burst. THe test found nothing but i saw a gastro doc & he did a colonoscopy and found nothing. I went to the obgyn doc & she gave be yaz. I hesitated at first but she said that bc was the only thing to help regulate my hormones that may cause the cysts. THe first week i had the WORST headache I have ever had. I took aleive, Motrin, and Tylenol and I still had it the next day but not as strong. Lately I also noticed that I have been having extreme mood swings but mostly anger. I even yelled at a poor kid who called me by accident. I’ve never been a negative person but this stuff is making me into a different person. I also have noticed that I have been having alot of body twitching. IT is now keeping me awake at night. My body twitches during the day & night and affects every muscle including my eyes. I did not see that as a side effect & i am thinking about talking to the obgyn doc about that and the other side affects as well. Has anyone else noticed full body twitching on this medication? This is only 2nd week on it.

[TAKEHEEDLadies]

I am in the military and I started taking Yasmin Sept 07. Now March 1st, 2009 was the first day of being off of Yasmin or anything like Yasmin forever. The first couple months I experienced horrible discharge that was like a yeast infection, while it was "supoosed" to be normal (thicking of the Uterus lining). For me personally, I had never had any kind of abnormal discharge or smells or anything like that. I was in and out of doctors trying to rid this effect. Finally, I guess after being on it for a couple of months my body got adjusted to the pills hormones. After about 8months on this pill I was overly emotional-cried, sensitive about everything involving my fiance, felt alone, cornered and my fiance now husband was in for it with my mood swings. I started experiencing light weight breathing problems and he would ask me if I was okay because I would hold my chest and stop for a second. I couldn't connect why I was experiencing these symptoms, at all. Along with being emotional, as the months went by I started feeling nauseated and thought I was pregnant. The night before or two I had been drinking Alcohol so I thought it may had been the alcohol (yea, ok). Soon after I started having pretty bad stomach aches but didn't notice because my tolerance for pain is: tolerate it. Christmas Day 6AM, 2 days after my husband and I got married I woke up in sweats feeling like I was going to throw up but nothing came. Soon my body couldn't take anymore and I finally blew. I had nothing much in my stomach but kept throwing up about every couple of minutes until I was horribly dry heathing uncontrollably and could not stop throwing up. My husband didn't know what else to do so he rushed me to the ER. As soon as I arrived there I felt horrbile, could barely walk, could barely sit and was was in cold hard sweat that my thick hoody was drinched by the time I removed it. After spending 3 days in the hospital (dont forget our FIRST Christmas married) the doctors kept giving me the run around and kept making me take CAT scans and every kind of scan you can think of, just to tell me all they see is "thickening in my small intestines" and to stay a little longer to see if I can finally hold food down. At the time, we assumed and thought that I caught the holiday crud but as time has passed and all these adds and added side effects to these birth conHELL's that they failed to enclosed is all clear that it WAS the birth control. I almost lost my life had I not went to the emergency room that Christmas morning. After doing research online for what Yasmin and YAZ contain, it showed that it creates higher Potassium levels which can be dangerous and cause gastrointestinal issues. EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME THAT DAY. My husband did not believe it was the birth control pills but I know my body. I am athletic (very), 5'5 and WAS 138-140 pounds.... now ladies, I am 153. WOW... who would have guessed. I am really into being healthy and no health problems and this past year was real BAD health wise for me. I dont want to see or hear of anyone dying from this drug. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.... STOP taking it. Even if it does not cause you problems now; it didn't for me either at first until later, IT WILL CATCH UP to your body whenever your bodies say "Enough, I cannot take anymore". So please, if you or a loved one is taking these pills encourage them to STOP. I am only 23 (soon) and we have one life, one body and one heart, I feel this pill almost stopped mine. TAKE HEED WOMEN. TAKE HEED

[Angiev117]

I've had horrible cramps since i was 12 years old (I'm now 25) I finally found a doctor who instead of putting me on the pill to try and help found out what was really wrong which is endemetrosis and cycts.  They put me on yaz to regulate my period before i go in for surgery to remove my growths and I feel like i'm loosing my mind!  I was diagnosed with PMDD when I was 14 but have been handeling it without medication.  I thought that this may help but I fell worse than ever!  I go to school full time, work 2 jobs and my husband is currently surving in Afghanistan so this added emotionl burden is horrible.  I only have to take it tilli have my surgery then no more and I will never touch it again.  but this helped so much cause I thought that I was loosing my mind with crying all the time, i'm always tired and want to sleep.  I hope this helps!

[austinlady35]

I am just finishing my 3rd month on Yaz, and I wish I had googled the side effects earlier on. I am a complete mess, beyond myself. I am feeling very irritable, depressed, lonely, anxious, and nauseated. I have been having the strongest thoughts of suicide for the past two days and I am crying myself to sleep. I often have horrible nightmares. My days are so different, some days I cannot sleep and other days I have a hard time staying awake. I often feel like I am pregnant with morning sickness, sometimes actually throwing up. I think the worst case scenario, am picking fights with my boyfriend for no reason. In fact, I am afraid he is going to break up with me today because of my paranoia and irrational thoughts and behavior last night. I always think he's doing something wrong when there's no reason to. My mind is always racing on people who might be conspiring against me or talking about me. I am very angry and lash out at my kids and our new kitten all the time. I have gained 5 or 6lbs and cannot seem to shed them. I am breaking out with blackheads all over my back and even on my eye lids! Ugh! Something I have never experienced!  I absolutely hate this pill and will stop taking it immediately. Why on earth did my ob/gyn not tell me about these possibilities?!?! I am also replacing her!

Ladies, be careful in taking Yaz! It might be okay for some, but it's definitely not okay for a lot of women.

[trevaweva]

I am Blown away at everything I am reading! I thought it was just me...2 years ago my OBGYN changed me from Yasmin to Yaz... I had been on Yasmin for 5 years and honestly never had any problems at all...I LOVED IT! Then when I changed to Yaz, I bled for 3 months with my OBGYN saying it would stop and I had also gained 15 lbs in those 3 months... I was always down and depressed! I got off of it and she changed me back to yasmin. I continued to gain weight at a rapid pace...even though my diet had not changed at all...I dieted, and could NOT lose weight! I ended up gaining 80lbs total and a couple of months after I got off of the YAZ I ended up with a blood clot in my leg! Thank God it wasn't a Deep Vein, but it was VERY painful! Because of that I can't get on Birth Control, and I was on it because of Horrible cramps.  I had surgery and have lost my weight, but I advise all of my friends not to take it! It is WAY to dangerous! It's not worth your life!

[yazhater]

I am so glad I found these posts and I am so shocked that this drug is still on the market. It is a very scary thing! I have been on Yaz for almost a year and did not notice severe side effects until about my 9th, 10th month. During this time I felt extremely tired and run down all of the time. I was moody and snappy almost 3 weeks out of the month. This past week has been one of the worst of my life. I suffered an extreme panic attack (never had one before). I've had pains in my chest, extreme heart rate, and everytime I try to sleep, I awake in panic. I have been crying everyday because I am feeling so anxious and panicky and do not how to stop it. I went on the computer to search my symptoms and was absolutely shocked and I have to say a little relieved to learn that other women were having the same symptoms. I have stopped taking Yaz, but my mind is still not at ease. I am terrified that it has done permanent damage (more anxious behavior). I pray that I will soon feel like my old self again!

[ahelge08]

I have to say I am also so relieved that I found this website.  I thought I was going insane.  I switched from Yasmin to Yaz in June 2008 because of acne and I was getting married soon, so I wanted clear skin.  Well, for one Yaz didn't really deliver on the clear skin thing.  I had the best skin when I was taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo about 4 years ago.  Since switching to Yaz I have been constantly bloated, constipated despite taking fiber supplements and eating a very high fiber diet.  I also can't lose weight and feel as though I'm gaining weight despite being a very active person--long distance runner, mountain biker, snowboarder.  I run at least 5 miles every day and lift weights every other day, yet I'm developing a gut and am losing muscle tone!  I though I was pregnant due to my increased appetite, daily headaches, constipation, bloating, cramping, spotting, extreme fatigue, and moodiness.  I had elevated cholesterol at my last check up--I've always had SUPER low cholesterol.  My doc even told me I could sell my cholesterol levels on the black market they were so good...prior to taking Yaz of course.  I also have night sweats, chest pains, stomach pains, bad dreams, am constantly anxious, angry, annoyed and don't feel happy and optimistic like I used to be.  It's scary to know so many other women are having the same symptoms and they are definitely side effects of Yaz b/c I didn't have 99% of them prior to taking Yaz.  This is for leighton704--on New Year's Day 2009, I woke up and there was this intense pain behind my right eye and my vision in that eye was blurry, but I've had better than 20/20 vision my whole life.  Whenever I moved my eye it hurt so bad I would instinctively cover it even though the pain was behind my eye.  I went to an opthamologist who looked at my optic nerve to see if it was inflamed--a sign of optic neuritis.  It wasn't inflamed, so I had to get an MRI of my brain b/c the doc thought I might have MS!!!  Waiting for the results (which were negative, thank God) was the most stressful week of my life!!!  The eye pain eventually went away, but the opthamologist couldn't come up with a diagnosis or explanation for the pain.  I now blame Yaz after reading  I HATE Yaz.  I fully blame it for everything. I am quitting it today.

[YAZnot4me]

I am 45 years old. I began taking YAZ 1 and 1/2 weeks ago to help with my ovarian cyst problems. I do not smoke. For the first 2-3 days I was fine but after that, the FATIGUE set in. I have been sleeping okay, except for waking up soaking wet from sweat. I have never experienced night sweats before, and I am not going through menopause--yet. I have felt like sleeping all day. I barely have the energy to go to my college classes and feel like I am falling apart. I wake up exhausted and have some body aches. I have difficulty concentrating and feel withdrawn from my friends and family. I have decided to stop taking YAZ and hope I get back to feeling like my old self again. I wouldn't recommend YAZ to other women.

[butterball123]

I've been taking yaz for about a year and 4 months.  I've gotten such an increase in cellulite it's crazy.  I read before that you're more prone to get cellulite when on yaz because it blocks the fat and stores it in you're legs and booty!  I stopped taking yaz for a week and noticed a decrease of cellulite in my legs.  I had to start taking it again cause you know, it's birth control!  But yes. I've noticed the same side effects as most of you, the depression and anger issue.  Yaz is evil :(

[leighton704]

http://www.ackthree.com/yasmin/?AFID=13375&SID=x3threeYazminX33LLN20090316

This  lawsuit info. just came to me via e-mail and I have to say I am very lucky that nothing that serious happend to me, if I would have not stopped taking Yaz almost a month ago however, who knows what my sever pains in the right side of my brain and vision loss in my right eye would have escalated into! Very Frighting!  I posted a message back in Feb. if you would like to read my side effects.

[KellyS86]

About a year ago I stopped taking Yaz after I had taken it for 6 months. During those 6 months I became irritable, suicidal, moody, anxious, and super depressed. I also managed to gain 40 pounds! A year later, I am still dealing with depression and anxiety. I am a laid back person, and I have never been diagnosed with depression or felt these feelings before. I am 23 now, and all through out high school I was on Orthotricyclen and though I was somewhat moody (could have been normal teen hormones) my weight stayed 100 lbs (I'm 5'2") and I didn't experience any health concerns. When I was 19 I had the depo shot and gained 10 lbs immediately...I also had food cravings like I was pregnant. Needless to say I never got another shot after the first. I have sworn off all birth control pills, and I highly suggest that NO ONE takes Yaz!!!

[Paloma91]

Hello, my 17 year old daughter  was started on Yaz 1 month ago, due to multiple ovarian cysts.  First few days, crying, very angry and deprressed, I thought, well, she needs to get used to the hormones and I did nothing about it.  She continue to take it and finished 3 weeks and 2 days of pink and was left with one day of pink, before stating whites,  before symptoms escalated.( she became angry, isolated, and suicidal. Told me she wanted to jump off the balcony  in her room and or/ crash her car with her in it.  She began c/o of headache, which was not relieved by any of the over the counter meds, her eyes became quite sensitive to light, her eyes were covered by a black sleeping mask, and a hat, she could not even see daylight in a room, and  the headache was on right side of head and in eyes area.  I rushed to see an optomitrist, who said it was all good, no eyes problem, ( pupils were dilated) she was miserable. She them developed a fever,and nausea, I then took her to see her GP, who immediately thought Viral meningitis, although she did not have a rash, or nuccal rigidity, but the light sensitivity scared him, he ordered blood work, cbc and sed rate looking for infection or imflamation these came back normal, so the viral meningitis was ruled out, then he bagan to look for other things and said nothing fit, He said he never seen such a extreme case to light sensitivy.  He send her to see an opthalmologist, who again dilated her pupils and told us, (thanks the lord) that there was no sign of imflamation, or adenopathy in her eyes, and no sign of hemorrage.  But the h/a did not let up, she was given ultram, it did not work, then next day went to see MD (GP) again who this time said blood work was good, and gave her tylenol #3 for the h/a this help a little, recommended lost of water, and rest.  Categorized as a migraine, but also ordered an MRI, to make sure no other problems were casuing this.  I waited for 2 days and was going nuts, my poor baby was still in a lot of pain, and nothing seems to work.   I told him the only thing different thing my daughter was taking  was YAZ, he told me to call GYN, I did.  She was out that day.  MRI came back negative, :) I was once again relieved that there was no tumor, or hemorrage or blood clot which is what I thought from the get go, due to her s/s. Finally got hold of
GYN said she had  other cases with h/a for multiple days,(other patients  on YAZ)  and to give her motrin 6oomg 3x a days, lots of fluids, rest and dark room, we had been doing all except for the motrin, then I found this site, and Relief, becasue at least I see that other people have had similar problems, and my poor baby is not going nuts. The motrin helps but the only thing that takes th edge off is Percocet. By taking a percocet my daughter was able to sleep a couple of hours at the time.  Also constant ice packs, ( take a small towel soak it with water and put inside a plastic bag, once frozen put on head it is flexible enough that you can shape it.  Sorry had to tell you that.  Anyhow today is day 6 of her headache. it's been 5 days since she stopped the pill, and she has not have her menses yet.  It should have come 2 days ago.  I hope once it comes the h/a will get better.  Now the H/A on day 6 is on the right side of the eye.  before was 3-4 days on right side of head, then moved to frontal, side and back, and now is localized on the front. I have been trying multiple baths, warm compresses for the back of neck, candles and everything I can think off, to help her relax. Soft music, also I read about Magnesium, rivoflavin (B2) vitamin and feve Few, and ran to get her that.  It seems that the magnesium has also helped her relax.  Yaz, tends to increase potassium so the MAG counteracts it. also relaxes muscle.  Ask your MD. I am at my wits end, It kills me to see my little girl like this.  Becareful when starting a new med.  Hope this post help other people.  Just know it is always safe to go to your md and look for answers, at least I know what it wasn't, I WILL NOT ALLOW HER TO START ANOTHER PILL, we will deal with the cyst, in another manner.  Hope this help other women, I will keep you posted when H/A gets better.  
Thanks A. C.

[nfoster5]

I am so glad I stumbled upon this forum.  I started YAZ just 3 weeks ago and have always been a healthy upbeat person- I have noticed the following side effects:
-Pain behind my eyes
-Low grade Headache that won't go away without narcotics
-Very dry mouth-constant thurst
-Depressive feelings
-Easily angered with little patience/tolerance for anyone

I plan to go off this med ASAP. Affraid to try something else....

[andre79]

hello.  i'm 30 and i started taking yaz 2 years ago because of bad pms.  Since then i've been much better, no breast tenderness, almost not cramps, better mood and on top of all i lost weight, 35 pounds so far without changing my eating habits. the first few months were a little different but once my body adjusted all i saw was beniftis,  Very happy

[allwright5]

I dont even know where to start. Im dumbfounded by all of the posts on here. 10 minutes ago before I decided to look up "side effects of Yaz" I was lying on my bed half crying. Wondering why..why am I secluding myself from everyone and why arent I happy? Even the boy that Ive been <3ing for the past year is just starting to come around and act interested and all i want to do? Is be alone..I go through spurts, up and downs of black and white, happiness and sadness. This is not me I said! Im a lover of life! I love sports and people and being a social butterfly! But Ive been on Yaz for well over a year and a half. I took a break about 6 months ago, for about 2 months. My skin got horrible. It is horrible. Always has been horrible, and always will. They only time i feel good about it is during my period. Ugghhh. Sure. I have pushed all my friends away. My loneliness and depression I assumed was from just moving out and living on my own for the first time this past Nov. Im 28. I was ok when i first did. But its not just the blues of lonliness taking a toll. This medication needs to be addressed. Its not safe. Now I need to answer that question. Whats more valuable? Semi-clear skin? Or my life? Please take serious time to consider using this drug. Your doctore wont tell you. Also note that the mental side effects may not come into play until many months of being on this. Thank you everyone.

[ilovesascuach]

wow.... i am 15 years old and i have been taking yaz for about a year now, i don't know were all of these symptoms i read about here come from!!! I guess that every ones body is different and you need to keep trying until you find the right one for you... Yaz has actually worked wonders for me, it has controlled my breakouts, no cramps, shorter period, no mood swings or none of that bad stuff ( i naturally have mood swings, its a learned behavior from my mom).My period is actually regular now, it uses to be one month yes one month no, and sometimes twice in a month! I do have to admit that the first pack or two i would get some stomach aches, which are not common in me, and also i have more discharge and it's pretty annoying having to always put on liners, i think it's bad enough wearing pads, but overall i am happy.
I can't really comment on any other pills because i haven't tried any, like i said i'm only 15.
I would recommend it to teens out there!!!

[BeeAlright]

I went to see my doctor because I was suffering of PMS. Exactly a week before my period I would have one or two days when I was moody, depressed, angry. She (the doctor) gave me Yaz and told me that will help me with PMS. I am taking YAZ for 2 weeks now and I haven't stopped bleeding, and I am extremely angry, depressed ( every morning I wake up and cry), I have menstrual pain (never had them before), and I have never had a day in these two weeks with regular bleeding. I am very tired. My feel my head throbbing. it's worse than those two days of PMS that I was familiar with. Hence, I called my doctor and she said it will take about 2 (two) months to get used to this pill!!!! I can't sacrifice two months waiting for the Good to happen. I'd rather go back on my birthcontrol method and take roots of valerian pill to calm me down during my 2 days of PMS! Now that I read all these here, I am convinced to give up on YAZ. Thank you to all women who have posted here! Do you have any advice on how to calm PMS? It's getting worse with the age (I am 39). Thanks, Ladies!

[kkv1]

WHATEVER YOU DO DONT TAKE YAZ! I am only 22 years old and went on yaz after my dermatologist recommended it. It seriously almost reuined my life! I never thought a simple birth control pill could do such a thing. Iv been takig birth control since i was 16 and never had problems until now. I was on it for about 8 months and during that time, i LOST ABOUT 1/3 OF MY HAIR! I also became SEVERLY depressed and EXTREMELY emotional, about everything. I was always stressed about everything too. I used to be an overwhelmingly happy person, i sometimes think that i didnt even know what depression was because i was always in a good mood. That all changed after i started taking yaz.

Im a skinny girl already, im 5'8 and weight about 125. After taking yaz, i lost 15 pounds and was down to 110, which is horribly skinny for my height. I was eating the same too, which was the weird part. I never wanted to lose weight, i already thought i was skinny. Although, i noticed that sometimes i was soooo depressed that i wouldnt eat all day, which is not like me at all, normally im a pig! I seriously have had emotional mood swings and SEVERE depression from this stuff. I also experienced really bad chest pains and had a hard time breathing. I went to the doctors and they found out it was all from my yaz. I found out that i had mitro valve prolapse, which was what was causing my heart pains. I knew it was from the yaz because it was the only medicine i was on at the time!

I also had a friend who was on this for the same time i was and she ended up developing a tumor on her liver because of it. They had to remove half her liver and the doctors traced it back to the Yaz. Very sad considering she is only 23 and now she has a foot long scar across her stomach from something as simple as taking a birth control pill. Im not trying to scar anyone, but everyone i have talked to who has taken this drug has had extremely bad problems. I can definitely see it getting pulled off the market in the next year here because too many people are having problems with it.

Good news is, i stopped taking it about 2 months ago, and i notice that im returning back to my old self again. Im much happier and my hair is growing back again. I WOULD AVOID TAKING THIS DRUG AT ALL COSTS! it seriously had a horrible impact on my life as well as my health! Hope this helps some people out!

[kazim20]

I am on Yaz currently and am almost done with my first pack of pills, so it is quite new for me. Before being prescribed Yaz I was on Junel which made me have the WORST side effects. It was to the point that it made me feel like I was pregnant when I definitely was not. The first two and a half weeks of taking Yaz I didn't really notice any side effects but last Friday I got a migraine headache. I do not have a history of bad headaches (although my mom does). I thought it was just a hard day at work or that I was over-tired, but then Tuesday night I was at my night class and I got ANOTHER migraine which has continued through today. I read about some side effects of Yaz online today thinking that it could possibly be causing my CONSTANT headache. I'm glad that I did. One website i went to said that if you are experiencing any of these severe side effects stop taking it and call your doctor right away. Well, one of those side effects was worsening severity of headaches/migraines. I called my doctor right away and left a message for her nurse saying that I keep getting migraines and they are Extreme. I workout almost everyday and I'm a very healthy person. I take daily vitamins and watch what I eat, and I never get headaches that won't go away with using advil or tylenol. I have had this headache for three days straight now and it is driving me crazy. I have extreme sensitivity to light, and the pain just continues on and on.

Here's the twist. After reading most of these comments this afternoon, I finally decided to call my doctors nurse and she called me back not too much later and told me that my doctor said that headaches are not associated with Yaz and that I should continue to take the pill. I was very upset after this because I do not want to take it anymore. I am seriously considering stopping it today, and switching doctors because I am so frustrated with mine right now!! If it wasn't for me reading these posts I would not have any information about Yaz's side effects. Any Advice I would love to hear it! thanks!

[kazim20]

I continued to take my pill last night and woke up with extremely BAD chest pains this morning. I once again have put a phone call into my doctor's nurse and am waiting for a return phone call. If she tells me that chest pain is not a side effect you can imagine how upset I'm going to be.

[coonrapidswoman]

Ok Ok Ok.... People honestly need to talking **** about this pill. I think the main problem here is that all of you don't know how to research something before you decided to start taking it. YAZ was created to treat women who have PMDD. I think it's a joke that it's being prescribed for acne, regulating periods .. etc. It's make-up is to treat servere emotional and physical problems that women have during their menstrual cycle. If you don't have these problems, then don't take it because it was not designed for you and of course it will give you problems. Every woman has different amounts of hormones in their bodies. YAZ is meant to balance the woman with PMDD. If you don't have that, it's going to throw you out of balance causing your mood swings and such. This pill has been a miracle worker for many women, so please quit nagging about it. If it's not right for you, than fine.. quit taking it. Just don't bash it just because you didn't take the time to research it before you took it and now you're paying the consequences.

[DoNotTakeYaz]

coonrapidswoman, as you may know, Yaz was MARKETED to young women to "knock out" mood swings, get rid of acne, cramps, etc.(did you see any of the commercials???).  They just released a new commercial stating that "You may have seen some Yaz commercials recently that were not clear.  The FDA wants us to correct a few points in those ads."  Along with clarifying that the contraceptive pill won’t maintain clear skin or treat PMS, the new ads also point out the potential health risks associated with the drug, which were downplayed in previous ads. The whole thing comes across like an embarrassing, “Oops! We messed up big time!” apology from Bayer.  "We’ll put up the new commercial as soon as we can!  Hope we didn't screw up your life!"  Plus, our DOCTOR'S were prescribing it to us.  I didn't have PMDD, my doctor knew that, yet he prescribed Yaz (he's the professional).  So yeah, maybe we didn't "do our research", but it wasn't until recently that Yaz came out with THEIR mistake!    

[sherry_d]

I took Yak for 19 days and developed anxiety, depression, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, and a severely decreased appetite.  I have lost 15 pounds.  I stopped taking it on March 29th   The days after I stopped my anxiety and depression went away, but I still cannot eat and bought protein shakes today.  

[bloom404]

I started taking Yaz four months ago for PMDD and I have gained weight and feel suicidal. For someone who is recovering from an eating disorder and a has a history of depression, you can imagine how this affects me.
I went back to my doctor last week and she recommended increasing my cymbalta from 60 mg (the highest dosage) to 90 mg but continuing with the Yaz.
There are those of us who are taking Yaz for what is meant for and still having the negative side effects. But I continue to take it because the doctor recommended it - said my body just has to "get used to it." Is it worth it? We'll find out soon enough...

[kmw441]

I have been on Yaz for a little over two years and have started experiencing what I think might be side effects in the past several months. I have not had a normal period since Sept. 2008, often having pms symptoms each month but little to no bleeding. Went to the gyno in Sept and was told Yaz can cause phantom periods because of the low dose....FYI because of little to no period I have been taking preg. tests every month just to be safe. I have been having spouts of depression, crying for no real reason, major lack in sex drive, staring fights with my husband over little things, having occasional nausea and headaches. After reading previous comments from other users I think I will switch. Has anyone else experienced symptoms so far into taking this pill???

[ELTEE]

I was on YAZ until my doc prescribed Yasmin. The pharmacy compounded the problem by issuing the generic. Ladies I have NEVER been so sick in my life. After about 8 months of taking Yasmin I am iron deficient, B12 anemic, suffering from heart palpatations and if I didn't realize it was the pill that was making me sick, I think I would've been on here telling you, I too, had a stroke or heart attack. My absorption of essential vitamins and minerals has been extremely compromised. I also relate to the woman who was experiencing head pain and memory problems. I have been off Yasmin for two weeks, but my functioning is only slowly improving. I haven't experienced a rapid recovery although I do see subtle improvements in my functioning every day. I really feel like becoming an advocate for NO MORE YAZ OR YASMIN. I truly felt like it was about to kill me! I was literally swallowing the thing everyday that was making me sick. There are also night sweats and swollen legs which landed me in the hospital too. I could go on and on. We really need to do something. No woman I know will ever take those pills if I can help it. NO MORE YAZ PRESCRIPTIONS!!!

[kmc05]

This is my third month on Yaz. I met with my doctor a couple of days ago and she has switched me to Alesse due to my side effects: very sore breasts (growth was a positive thing for me), constipation, short breath causing me to yawn a lot and having difficulty doing so, chest tightness, nausea and feeling light-headed.

My period is fine, but the side effects are very uncomfortable. My doctor tells me they are all symptoms of too much estrogen in my body. I'm sitting at my office desk right now drinking ginger ale after taking Tums and wishing I didn't have to do a "clean switch," fully completing my pack of Yaz before starting Alesse (which I hope will be better for me).

Apparently many people have died from the pill as a result of not paying attention to their symptoms (according to my doctor) and so girls need to be very careful and conscious of their bodies when playing with their hormones on birth control.

Good things were no weight gain and breast growth. Aside from that, I just don't feel well and so I'm glad I was able to share it with my doctor before getting any worse (especially since I'm getting married this year and need to make sure I'm okay with whatever I'm on)

[michmar123]

I started yaz due to the fact that I hadnt had a period in 9 months. I wasn't pregnant so they ran a bunch of tests and determined I should start the pill right away so that it would give me periods. After, a couple days of taking it, I began fighting with my boyfriend constantly, the fights were my fault, I was extremely moody, depressed, kept to myself and even had a couple suicidal thoughts. Everyone around me could see that I was changing for the worse but I thought I just needed more time to adjust to the large dose of hormones being pumped into my body. On the 16th day of taking these horrible pills I had stayed in my room all day crying and my mother was worried about me and came to talk to me and I freaked out at her! My mom immediately thought of the pills and took them and threw them out then made me go to the emergency room. The doctor gave me some relaxers and told me to quit taking the pills ASAP! Although I didn't experience any physical pain these pills were absolutely horrible. They toy with your emotions and these kind of side affects aren't something you should have to get "used to." I later found out that someone my mom knew took this birth control as well and experienced the same side affects as I did, so when she saw her doctor they ran some tests and discovered her hormones were at the level of a pregnant womans! What does that say...Anyway, I'm now on microgestin and I'm a million times happier. I wouldn't recomend this birth control to anyone. Be careful and good luck!

[peri1118]

OMGosh - I have battled with depression and anxiety before, but not for a long long time & since I started taking YAZ about a week & 1/2 ago I have been getting headaches, I got a yeast infection, & have been dealing with TERRIBLE anxiety & depression in the last three days. I really thought I was going insane. I think that God definitely answered my prayers when he let me stumble on to this page. I have been on other birth controls before & none have ever effected me like this one. YAZ IS OBVIOUSLY NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR ALOT OF PEOPLE. I am going to quit taking it immediately. Thank you all for posting about it.

[Michele95]

I am beside myself. Im so glad i found this website. I took yasmin for about 6 months then switched to yaz for the past 8 months. I have NEVER felt this bad in my life! I really thought I was losing my mind. SEVERE fatigue-I could sleep all day. Depression, anxiety, irritability, sadness, just not me. I had some of these a little with yasmin but it never occurred to me how much these symptoms worsened with the timing I started the yaz. I've gained almost 20 pounds. I feel horrible. I've already stopped taking yaz and pray every day I get my old self back-my poor husband and kids have been putting up with a monster.  I would never recommend yaz to anyone.  

[peri1118]

I was wondering if anyone can tell me how long it took for them to return to feeling more normal after they got off the pill. I'm a little nervous because I was having such bad anxiety and depression & trouble breathing that I quit taking it in the the middle of the pack & although I feel much improved, I am still a little anxious & feel generally just kind of strange. I've only been off for a little less than 2 days, and I told myself that I should give the hormones 3 - 7 days to metabolize out of my system?

[DoNotTakeYaz]

peri1118, I've been off Yaz for about 2 months now (I quit taking it right before Valentine's Day 2009) and I still have very bad anxiety.  After a month off of it, I had night sweats only during my period (I was having them daily).  This month I only had night sweats on the 1st day of my period so that part of it is getting better.  I'm still depressed and kind of suicidal but not as bad as before.  I've read blogs that said it takes about 6 months to get back to normal.  I'm hoping it won't take that long!  Good luck!

[spryzie]

Im an 18 year old girl who was diagnosed with endometriosis (causes extreem period pain to the point of being hospitalised) about a year and a half ago. After surgery i was put on a range of different pills which helped with the pains but still made be vomit violently. I saw my doctor and she changed the pill to yaz. At first i thought it was a god send!

Yaz was perfect for the first 2 months, but i did get the occational mind grain or severe head achs. Eventually i started getting a dry mouth, feeling nausa every time i ate and getting massive dizzy spells/light headed. I thought i was going through a violent flu or something so it didnt worry me too much. This continued for about 3 weeks and i ended up losing 6 kg from being to anxious to eat.

I found myself afraid to leave the house, anxious about every thing and not eating. Eventually i went to see my doctor. They didnt know what was going on with me at all. I was getting so frustrated! I have had 2 blood tests done, an ultra sound and massive amounts of physicals. When i was consulting my doctor, my mum mensioned how depressed i was. I didnt take much notice as i had just finished school and thought i was going through a transitional phase but when i really though about it i was getting angry over nothing all the time! I pick fights with my sisters and feel like everything is an attack on me. I am so worried all the time that my boyfriend is cheating on me or is going to break up with me for no reason and i cry for reason at all. I am no longer the happy teen who just wants to party. I am now a hermit, wishing i could die for the stupidest of reasons.

i have also been getting spotting half way through the month and my breasts are constantly sore! My neck feels like it was hit with a cricket bat and im getting a consistant soreness around my eyes which then goes into the worst head achs!

Im seeing my doctor tomorrow and hopefully i can figure all this out. I want to say thank you to everyone because i think i finally understand why i feel so sick. I go on a holiday to Cairns on Sunday, I'm hoping i feel better by then.

Thank you

[Azail]

I just got on Yaz about a week ago now and so far so good. I'm noticing only the subtle side effects like Nausea and mood swings varying from combativness to Bliss in the matter of a few minutes. Another thing I noticed is I'm starting to break out and my period won't stop with severe cramps. Mind you the cramps aren't as bad as when I was off the pill but it still hurts. I'm going back to the doctor to see what she suggests when it comes to relieving my nausea and cramping. I've been on Tricyclen before but I don't think it did much besides cause mood swings and clear up my face. Weight loss so far hasn't been noticible besides what I'm doing myself, exercising. Still too early to tell if it will get better or not. Here's hoping.

[lbhorn]

All pills have side effects. A woman's body may react differently depending on the type of pill. I chose Yaz, because it is weight neutral, clears skin, and is a combined-type pill. I have noticed slight changes in mood, but that is expected when I am altering the chemical make-up of my body.In addition, the older a woman gets, the more alternatives you should look to. Older bodies (30+) are not in a physical state to handle the hormones which cause strokes and heart attacks. All women are different and each will respond differently. My doctor advised allowing three months for my body to adjust to YAZ, then make a decision. Yaz may not be right for you, but don't let the negativity in these posts sway your mind about the drug. Keep in mind, you will see more people speak out about negative experiences than you will with positive ones--there is more motivation. Good Luck!

[smu219]

I was put on Yaz three months ago.  My first two months were fine; I noticed myself becoming more a bit more emotional, irritable, and slightly depressed but I attributed all of these to being short-term effects of the pill.  In the past month I started having severe headaches, nausea, and extreme insomnia.  I eventually began waking up with headaches (on the nights that I actually was able to sleep) and feeling nauseous every time I ate something.  I also noticed myself starting arguments with my boyfriend over nothing when normally I am a very mellow person.  I developed anxiety and had my first panic attack.  I also suffered a yeast infection, which had never happened to me before.  Every time I would call my mom, she would tell me that I sounded as if I was on the verge of crying, but she thought that I was simply stressed about school and would tell me to try to relax.  I began laying in bed constantly because I was so exhausted and depressed.  Eventually I began considering the chance that the Yaz was affecting me negatively.  I called my doctor, who immediately advised me to stop taking the Yaz.  I officially stopped taking it yesterday, and I already feel so much better.  Today is the first day I have woken up without a headache in weeks, and I haven't experienced any nausea or headaches throughout the day.  I was able to concentrate without feeling exhausted, as I actually slept last night.  I even feel more upbeat and hopeful, and less negative and anxious.  I would recommend to anyone taking any medications, especially birth control, to consider the effects that chemicals and hormones may be having on them and their bodies.  

[funnish]

I recently realized that I was suffering from PMDD, which is the severe form of PMS that Yaz is meant to treat. About 2 months ago, I started using one of those sunlight lamps for 15 minutes a day, and it helped tremendously. I was still wondering if my symptoms could be even better if I combined the light therapy with the Yaz pill, so I asked my doctor about it. My doctor told me that Yaz would either make things much better or much worse. I said I would give it a shot.

I have been on Yaz for 6 days, and feel like I have some PMS symptoms even though I am not near that point in the pack. I am moody and on edge constantly, when generally I am very laid back. My PMDD symptoms used to be bursts of uncontrollable rage and suicidal thoughts, but this feeling is more of a constant high stress feeling. My blood pressure feels like it's rising constantly. I called my doctor this morning and am going to ask that they switch me back to my old birth control mid-cycle if possible. I just wish I had found this forum before I tried Yaz.

Overall, if you suffer from PMDD, try the light therapy first. If that seems to be working, I would avoid trying Yaz.

[kmc05]

I originally complained in this forum because of uncomfortable symptoms in my first two months on Yaz, which my doctor attributed to too much estrogen in my body. By hers and my mom's advice, I have continued to finish my third and last pack. Funny thing is, in this third month, I've been great. It seems that my breasts have stopped "growing" and are no longer painful. For the first time in my life, I have round, full breasts! Nausea and tiredness are no longer an issue. As far as mood swings, what I thought I could blame Yaz for I have realized friends who are not on birth control encounter all the time. I have learned to not allow myself to "give in" to my emotions. My fiance has been a huge support with dealing with stress, and you know what? I've realized I can't blame Yaz.

Regardless, I am still coming off Yaz and switching to the more well received and common Alesse. Yaz was just too much of an estrogen shock on my body. It seems that this BC seems to be pretty hit or miss with a lot of women. I am fortunate to be able to take care of period cramps with an Advil or two, so I can't speak for anyone who suffers from any serious association with periods. I just hope that for those searching for something that will help them, please be careful. :)

[alpd09]

I was on Yaz for almost two years, and for the most part had no side effects. That is, until the last 6 months. At first I just attributed it to being stressed out and getting a little too dependent on my poor boyfriend. Then over the past three weeks (in addition to actually being really sick), I started becoming more irritable than I ever have been in my life, and jumping all over people for nothing. I pushed my boyfriend of almost a year and a half to the brink of giving up when I began personally attacking him no matter what he did. I got depressed (something I have never been in my life) and suicidal, which scared the hell out of me. I also began intentionally wandering off for hours at a time and getting lost . I had no appetite, problems sleeping, constant anxiety, and a really short fuse.

I have been off of it for 3 days, and while my body is reeling a bit from going cold turkey, I recognize myself again. The suicidal thoughts and depression have stopped and my impulse control is returning. I was literally a different person on this pill, and neither myself nor anyone else liked it. While I do think this pill can work for some people, I am not one of them, and I do truly wish that I had been more alert to what it can do to your mental state and had connected the dots more quickly.

[alpd09]

Thank god someone else took two years to notice. I was beginning to think I may have been stupid. It took a few of my friends over a year to experience problems with the pill (all have subsequently quit taking it and are back to themselves). Best of luck!

[cbrjp]

I completely agree with you!

I have PMDD and since I started taking Yaz I feel great, no more mood swings. My life was a constant drama on the week before I had my period, depressed, angry, irritated, crying all the time, paranoid. So for that Yaz is great.

But of course there are side effects, I have constant headaches and my gradually have been noticing loss of libido.

I dont wanna stop taking Yaz because it made my day by day easier, but at the same time it has been interfering in my sexual life.

Is there anyone else in a similar situation? I would like to hear how you are dealing with it...

Thanks

[memellow]

I started Yaz in Jan of this year. I was on it until april when I stopped it I was so depressed and felt ill, anxiety, nausea, yeast infection, smelly discharge, weight gain, anger issues, extreme feeling of stress, MOODY, headaches, feeling empty inside.

I have been off of it almost a month and thought I would feel better but I still have shortness of breath, fatigue, sever thirst and urination along with pounding heart after my classes, still smelly discharge, Hurts when i urinate and my breasts hurt and tiny droplets (milk maybe? I never have been preg so I do not know) come out when I squeeze them. Has anyone else had this problem??!!!

[memellow]

and no I'm not pregnant.

[missmiss1231]

I have taken BC pills successfully for over 10 years then mine kind of quit working correctly on me so I switched to Yaz and I have had tons of the Yaz side-effets too.  Night-sweats, discharge, severe depression, mood swings and recurrent BV infections...But since I stopped it about 2-3 monthes ago I've had other problems I believe to be hormone related from taking the Yaz for about 6-8 monthes.  The depression and mood swings stopped however.  I gained 20lbs since stopping it and my acne/break-outs have been out of control.  I haven't been on any kind of birth control pill since because I'm scared of what it will do to me and I want all that out of my system but I don't know if I need to get back on some kind to get my problems under control.

[rkb0305]

I have been on Yaz for about 3 months. My husband has had a vasectomy, but I chose to stay on bc to help with mood swings and regulate my periods (when not on the pill, they are only 3 weeks apart). I knew when I got it home and read the insert, I knew that I shouldn't be on it. I even called the doc to question it, and she told me it was fine. It says not to take it for treatment of PMS. I haven't so much noticed my mood being worse, but my husband has, and thinks its the pill. What I HAVE noticed is chills and a bad taste in my mouth, like I'm getting sick. It never turns into anything serious, and has happened every 2-3 weeks for 1-3 days at a time. Now I'm really thinking it could be the yaz. I had a blood test this week and everything came back fine. HAS ANY ONE ELSE HAD CHILLS, FEVERY FEELING WITHOUT A FEVER, OR BAD TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH? Could it really be the pill?

[kimmrz15]

this pill is terrible, if you are on it get off as soon as possible!!  i have only been on it for 7 months and i was always a happy outgoing person, now i'm irritable, angry, depressed, upset all the time and i cannot stop crying.  i am set off my anything and everything and i have been angry  at my boyfriend for no reason at all, and it is taking a toll on our relationship.  I am getting off of it TODAY!  good luck to everyone!  i wish you well.

[janoz1963]

This is my first post ever to a forum, which may indicate how strongly I feel about YAZ. I am 46, and was suffering very heavy periods. The marina IUD disagreed with me - bad acne, spotting all the time etc - so the doctor put me on a birth control pill - can't remember which, to take for 3 months straight, then have a period, then another 3 months etc. But I spotted after 5 weeks so eventually he switched me to YAZ. I started on Yaz September 2008, also to take it three months straight, which I did for about 5 months, but the spotting was a continual problem again. I wasn't really aware of any other issues with Yaz, it seemed fine, cleared up my skin very nicely, but the spotting was a nuisance. So the doctor told me just to take it month by month as usual, instead of three months straight, and that is when the problems started. The first two months I had the most shocking PMS - could not stop crying, had to miss work, couldn't function, felt like my entire life was worthless and falling apart. Lost a life long friendship one month due to my over-reaction and anger. The third month - PMS not so bad, so I thought ok maybe the symptoms are getting less, but instead I had the most terrible migraine. I am not a migraine sufferer- never had one in my life - it was just awful, again at work, thought I was going to be sick in the office! I thought I would give it one more month but started to spot and decided I wanted my body back, heavy periods and all, and I wanted all artificial hormones out of my body. I stopped taking Yaz it about a week ago. I again got a filthy migraine when I stopped it, and my mood has been very low since, teary and fragile, but I am feeling very relieved to be off Yaz, and am hoping that the low tired tired  feeling will go away soon. Everyone is different - I have thought and thought about whether it was Yaz that caused all this - I've always been happy to take whatever the doctor told me to and have trusted that, but I have had a foul time for months and nothing else in my life has changed other than that I started taking Yaz.

Hope someone out there finds this helpful, and thanks for all the other posts.

[Sugar806]

I'm 26 years old and started taking Yaz about 3 to 4 months ago. At first I didn't notice anything too crazy. Then I started getting chest pains that I thought were just anxiety related (which I've never had before). Tonight is my last pill. I have had three nightmares within the past week, my emotions have been getting more and more out of control and everything seems to be occurring exponentially. I'm such a strong and confident person and have worked very hard to be the person I love and respect. I have turned into a young women that I don't even recognize anymore. It feels like high school all over again. The only thing that has kept me somewhat sane is my rational mind struggling to make sense of this, and the act of reaching out to my mother and a girlfriend of mine. Plus, it just so happens that my sister has just recently started taking Yaz too and she's on an emotional roller-coaster and suffering from nausea.

Yes, maybe my boobs have grown a cup size, but it's not worth the nightmares, stomach sickness, sleeplessness, chest pains, sudden panic attacks with a drastic rise in adrenaline and heart rate (that just keep getting more frequent everyday). The fact that women have suffered strokes and heart attacks from this medication really scares me.

Yaz will create a living hell that starts inside of you, and that's no joke. It's very heartbreaking on an inexplainable level. My love goes out to all of you.
STAY AWAY from Yaz!

[rainy28]

I can't believe what I have read on this page today. I am completely floored that these side effects sound just like mine. I have been taking YAZ for a month now and I thought i was going crazy. I have had terrible mood swings, feeling depressed, angry, anxious, paranoid, and completely alone. My fiance told me he thought it was the YAZ, but I didn't want to stop it because I was taking it for my cystic acne. At this point I would rather deal with the acne. I have not been able to function like a normal human being for weeks. I don't want to go anywhere or do anything and all I do is cry. Thank you to everyone who posted on this site....it convinced me to stop taking it. And if you are thinking about taking YAZ....DON'T! It will ruin your life.

[krist55]

I have been on birth control pills since I was 13 years old, I am now 23.  For nine years I was on Ortho-Tricyclen.  It worked really well.  However my skin got really bad and I got terribly depressed.  I was eventually diagnosed with Bipolar disorder.  I am on medicine for that and it is working really well, but still the week leading up to my period I get depressed and angry and moody and my skin would freak out more.  I have not formally been diagnosed with PMDD but next time I am at the doctor I will ask about it.  

I got switched to Yaz 3 months ago (about to get my third period in a few days).  It has worked really well for me so far.  I am not moody, my skin is clear and I am not depressed (which I am sure my mood stabilizer has something to do with too).  I do have some side effects, and I was just wondering if anyone else (who has had good luck with Yaz) has these too.  

My cramps are different than what they used to be.  They are more nausea like and I get quite burpy.  I also don't get my period until the third day.  I then freak out that I am pregenant, which so far...hasn't happened.  (My poor, wonderful boyfriend, I take a test like every other month).  

Anyway, if you have the nausea like cramps, let me know.  Because right now, as usual I am worried I am pregant.

[frustratedgal]

I am floored while reading this!  I thought I was going crazy for the past year!
I started taking Yaz about a year ago b/c I was diagnosed with PCOS.  It regulated my period just fine...however...since then I have been getting terrible Migraines.  I have had MRI's, MRA's etc and the only thing that they said this could be attributed to was the birth control.
Not only this, I have been having terrible stomach pains.  I again had to go for all sorts of tests, and it has diseased my gallbladder.  I am having it removed this week.
I stopped taking it about a month ago, and since then I have not had one migraine.  I am getting back to my old self (stress and anxiety wise)..but unfortunatly the damage was too severe to reverse the damage in my gallbladder.
STOP TAKING THIS PILL!!!

[kmc05]

I went through the same thing, the pregnant-like symptoms such as nausea, etc. I told my coworkers about how I was feeling (light-headed, short of breath, burpy, sensitive to smells and very nauseous — especially around the first week back on the pill after having my period) and they, who have all had children, told me that it's exactly what it feels like to be pregnant. Pretty freaky thought, especially for me since I don't have sex.

So all I can say is don't worry, you're not pregnant. The pill just tricks your body to think it's pregnant so you won't get pregnant and Yaz just REALLY makes you feel it! I'd say let your doctor know and switch to something else. These side effects are not worth taking Yaz.

[rkb0305]

I've been off Yaz for about a week now and my symptoms are worse than ever. I hope it doesn't take long to get all of this out of my body! For the last 2 days I was so fatigued, I could hardly pull myself out of bed. I fell asleep at odd times during the day, couldn't even stand up to get myself and my kids dressed, and lied awake until 1 am with body aches and sweating like I was having a hot flash, or something. I may send a letter to the pharmaceutical company responsible for this drug. They really should know about all of this.

[vickilm]

Oh my gosh, like others on here...i felt that i was having some sort of a nervous breakdown....I didn't really think it could be this pill YAZ....but IT IS!!! I have 2 boys 4,and 2 and I have been yelling and having outbursts of anger at them for such little things. Then I cry later because I feel so bad for doing it...I am going to my dr. today and getting off of this ****. I have always been a happy, positive person. I have changed so much over these 2 months I have been on it, my sister has told me I need to get anti-anxiety meds because I can be such a basket-case. I have also had a constant headache for 2 1/2 weeks, I pop Ibuprofen like their tic-tacs. and i have never been one to even get headaches, which is also why I feel on the brink of sanity...I am stopping this pill today, never again-I just cant take this stress, depressing feelings anymore, and I am so glad someone started this blog. Because I thought I was actually losing my mind.

[BrittDees]

I'm 22 yrs old and I've been taking YAZ for almost a year. I can relate to the mood swings and depression. But most of all I've had weight gain. I've gained 20lbs since I've started taking the pill. I also take depression/anxiety medication to help with my depression that I've had since I was 14. My acne seems to have cleared up since I started taking the pill. My breasts have been swollen, sore, tender to touch, and I have went up a cup size. After reading many of your responses to taking the pill I am defienately thinking about quitting.  I hope none of you who have thought of sucide would actually follow through with it. Trust me, I know what its like having your emotions pull you in many different directions. Sucide is not the answer.

[rissa3]

I would just like to point out that they're are mostly negative comments about Yaz on the internet. If you have looked into it you would agree. Because of reading post after post of horrible expieriences that women had had on Yaz I was terrified to try it though my derm strongly recomended it for my acne. But finally after getting sick of my acne I was ready to do whatever it took. I was expecting to have horrible mood swings, throwing up everyday, for my acne to worsen in the first month, gain 20 lbs. ect..... NEVER happened. Nothing. No side effects whatsoever except for very mild cramping/ bloating the first week. I thought something was wrong because I wasn't expierencing any side effects! Turns out that I was desperatly needing to be put on Yaz. After 3 months my acne is gone and my skin glows, I have LESS mood swings and do not feel hopelessly depressed before my period, I no longer have 43 days between my period -32 days, and do not experience severe cramping while on my period. I also just generally feel better. If you have any of the above problems just mentioned that were helped by Yaz, it may really help you too. I didnt realize how screwed up I was until I was on it. Maybe the whole thing is if you have normal periods, no acne, and are basically emotionally stable, Yaz may ruin your life. (Probably not though). If you feel you may have mild or severe PMDD and have felt for a long your hormones may be messed up then what do you have to lose? Yaz will probably help. And as to why there are seemingly endless horror stories about Yaz, the number of women that take the time to post about them probably represents .001% of women that are on Yaz. And, with the exception of me becuase I got sick of women dissing on Yaz, most do not take the time if they are happy with Yaz to leave positive comments. But the ones that are beatchy about Yaz jump on the oppurtunity to rant and rave how bad it is. No offense to those that did have bad expeireince I would probably do the same thing. But anyway give Yaz I chance.

[missmiss1231]

Good luck, I to at first had no bad side effects for a long while.  My acne was much, much better and my boobs grew...not so bad either.  But then the depression hit and it hit hard.  I didn't even realize some of the other symptoms I was having until I heard from not 1, not 2, but 5 of my friends who had had similar problems.  I too had been experiencing the HAs, night sweats, bad dreams and gained 20 lbs in less than 6 monthes!!!!!.... and my body began to not function correctly.  I had a friend get pregnant and she and I were experiencing the exact same symtoms.  Once off the pill some things have improved, but my hormones have yet to stabilize.  My body still has not recovered.  I would highly recommend you take Ortho Tri-cyclen (not the Lo, the original) it too will improve your acne without all the crazy side-effects.  I took it successfully for 10 years.

[Goldiano]

Thank you so much for your posts..I wish I read this 3 months ago when I started this.  Since then I have become possed by the devil..My boyfriend of 2 years has left me because I wanted to kill him just for breathing.  I had no control over my emotions.  I have gained 20 lbs. and have had no sex drive so he pretty much ran screaming.  I am hurt and crying all the time.  After I read  this I was so relieved!  I stopped taking it a couple of days ago and can see the light through the tunnel.  My boyfriend wants nothing to do with me...Any suggestions??  Anyone who goes on this pill please be cautious.  It has created a living hell inside of me...

[angelgirl7703]

I am so glad I found this forum. I am almost to the end of my first month on Yaz and I feel like I am going crazy. I cry all the time and have came dangerously close to committing suicide several times. I feel anxious and can't think straight all the time. I'm even starting to see things out of the corner of my eyes. This is really affecting my work and home life. I have suffered from depression before, but was fine up until I started taking the pill to control my PCOS. I was on Seasonique and loved it, but had to stop because it totally destroyed my libido. I woke up this morning with horrible cramps and back pain. It hurt worse than labor. I called my gyno today and told the nurse about how I felt and she called me back 7 hours later just to tell me the doctor said I need to give it a chance for three months and that birth control pills don't cause depression. I got off the phone and couldn't stop crying.

[pickledmorgans]

I'm 25 with 1 child. I was taking YAZ for 12 months after my daughter was born and stopped taking Yaz 3 days ago, I went to my OBGYN in January because my periods were irregular and extremely heavy and lasted only 2 days with cramping that i had never had before, Also I wasnt able to lose any of the baby weight I gained, even though i was exercising and eating health on weight watchers. After January my periods seemed to dry up because I haven't had a mentral cycle in 5 months (not pregnant and not a thyroid problem-blood/urine/sonagram all normal/negative). I have been sweating and extrememly hot doing normal activities like washing the dishes, extremely angry and irritable all the time, and having stomach spasms (which made me think i was pregnant) and bowel problems. If i had known that so many people had problems with YAZ I never would have taken it for so long and wasted my money. I no longer want to use a product I cannot trust.

[pickledmorgans]

..also since I have taken YAZ it has decreased libido. But i can say I have not have any depressed feelings but i do seem to cry alot over anything especially happy things.. so it does put your hormones way out of whack

[minnieleigh]

I too was a victim of YAZ.  I tried taking the pill 1 month and 5 days.  The mood swings were bad up one time and down the next. I couldn't eat but one meal a day unless it was real light. I started taking it after a d&c.  I told my Dr. I felt like I need to be back on antidepressents and didn't want to go back on them.  So, we said I would take a pill holiday. I have been off now for 2 days can't wait to feel better

[Creamsicle]

5 months on YAZ and finally did some research on side effects.  I've NEVER considered suicide in my life but I did last month during my "no-pill" days.   I've been moody, depressed, lost control of my appetite, gained a few pounds and have been having heart palpitations.  I have no clue why I didn't connect any of this to this pill.   I will be done with them now. Thank you all for letting me know I have not been alone.

[stone2010]

I am 16 years old and i have been on yaz for 2 months and it has given me really heavy periods :( and i have had a lot of moods swings and have been very depressed and angry at every little thing, and im not usually like that at all, my bf has noticed a change in the way i act to, i have also been getting ad cramps and very bad headaches with dizzyness too :(

[kelleymae]

I, too, just like the rest of you took Yaz birth control for 2 years and it has totally changed me emotionally and physically.  This birth control makes you angry, moody and bloated.  I felt so bad, I felt like I had the flu every month.  I have just come off of it and it is around that time I should start pms again.  I am really bloated and nauseous and dizzy.  Just seeing if anyone else has felt this way???

[runnergirl66]

After reading these posts about YAZ, I'm more convinced than ever that Yaz is causing my symptoms similar to yours.  I'm 42, and started taking Yaz 4 mos. ago for PMS like symptoms (bloating, mood swings, etc.)
It was also 4 mos. ago that I started getting:  daily low grade fevers, slight headaches, mild sore throat and feeling very fatigued and tired every day!  
I have seen the doc. every month since Feb. complaining of these symptoms.  All bloodwork is normal.  It has been sooo frustrating to feel this way...and have no "lab work" to back up why you feel so rotten.
Just today my doc. ordered more bloodwork: a monospot test, chest xray and a CT scan of abdomen/pelvic area.  I'm racking up an incredible amount of medical co-pays and wonder if it's all stemming from Yaz.  I'm stopping Yaz starting tomorrow...and will see if my symptoms go away.
Anyone else have this general feeling of illness, malaise, fatigue, weakness??

[Amberlee828]

Ive been on for 2 months now, I still have not had a cycle. Pregnacy crossed my mind, went to the doctor and that wasn't the case. Has anyone else had this problem?

[bjpop2]

I have been on yaz for almost 2 years due to having periods every 2 wks.  I am starting to believe the side effects are not worth it.  I have gained almost 20 pounds, have no sex drive and want to climb out of my skin when I pms - I have a very short fuzz and snap at my kids.  I also very very tired and blah all the time.  The good things that yaz does is that my period is very light and only a few days and my acne has reduced.  I am going to stop taking and and see if life improves.

[edenevr]

I can't believe I am reading all these post right now! I picked up my computer because out of nowhere I started feeling really angry and thought....this can't be right...I don't feel right. So I searched YAZ making me angry and this site came up instantly! I just started taking YAZ last week and the change in my mood is VERY bad!!! I'm seriously a pretty happy person and YAZ changed me into a complete nut after only a week! I wasn't on anything for  2 months before and I was chill, happy, and content. Now I get mad for no reason and I have had some (not ordinary) depression too. And it's all been this week only! My husband and I have been fighting this week a lot. The other day I seriously got mad and threw myself on my bed (what the heck is up with that!!! I'm 23!!) I really suggest people don't take this pill and if you do and you become severely depressed or really moody just know that it's the pill and NOT you!

[kimmyp366]

i'm 19 and i was prescribed yaz to regulate my periods. i was on it for almost 6 months and it was horrible. it didn't regulate my periods and i was depressed for the first time in my life. i had dramatic highs and lows. my ex boyfriend called me a "volatile roller coaster" more than once because i had so many terrible lows that i quit trying to even keep track of them all...i'm really a happy person usually and handle problems well, but while i was one yaz i wouldn't go out with my friends for weekends at a time and i'd sit in my my dark dorm room and listen to sad music all alone....basically, i stopped it about a week ago and already feel a lot lighter emotionally. really, don't take yaz; it didn't help me with any of my irregularity problems and only caused unnecessary havoc in my life.

[LindsayLegit]

wow.im blown away about all these negative responses.I actually love Yaz!It is making me loose weight and my skin is so beautiful.I am a little depressed, but that it only because I am starting my period soon.I am soooo much happier since I have been on Yaz

HORRAY FOR YAZ.
I think everybody should be on it=]]

[SercetlaDy]

i just started yaz yesterday and im really crossing my fingers that it helps me gain weight!

[sdalton]

I have been taking yaz for 2 weeks and for the last 3 days I have been feeling very wierd.Today I asked my son to close the door and he done what I asked him to do and I started screaming at him I was growling like some kind of mad dog.Then I started shaking all over and was screaming what in the h*** is wrong with me.My son went over to my cousins house and she came running over by then I had beat the **** out of my bedroom wall and was crying so hard I couldn't catch my breath.I have never in my son's 7 years on earth ever screamed at him like that!!!!!!!!! I have never had a fit like that!!!!!!!! Please don't take this ****!!!! I am never taking it again........

[rkb0305]

I've posted twice above. I've been off Yaz for 4 weeks now, and finally feel back to normal. The first week off I felt terrible (see my last post). After that I had some irritation in my breasts (sort of like early pregnancy). This week I started my period w/o any cramping or the usual PMS. I'm going to stay off all BC for a while and see how I do.

[hopeful4443]

I hate YAZ!! to make a long stressful story short, dont take YAZ! it made the last few months of my life full of constant worry! I had side effects: lightheadedness, muscle pain, muscle twitching all over, constant pressure on the lower right side of back of my head for a few weeks or more, crabby mood, headache on right side of head, a glare in my right eye,  etc. I had so many doc apts, bills, tests, etc. I had to have a brain MRI because a couple docs thought i had MS!! scared me to death! it turned out it was sinusitis, which is a listed symptom of YAZ! so much worrying because of this horrible pill!! dont take it! finally i got a new doc who tries to do more natural things so im gonna take a progesterone cream (like bioidentical hormones), which hopefully will be  a lot better. its a pretty new product but it sounds a lot better than all the horrible effects of YAZ or other birth control pills. i suggest getting multiple opinions from diff docs and be careful what drugs you're putting in your body!

[lilskjbaby]

I have been on Yaz for a little under a yr. At 1st it was great bc i have hardly any cramps during my period, and of course didnt get pregnant. As of the last few months, i have felt really down. i feel like my friends are never around me and no one cares about me. I have gotten into arguements with my bf over him not facing me while im talking.... then cried for 2 hrs bc of it. I feel horrible and suicidial. I have felt down before but never like this. Every book and tv show makes me cry. I didnt know if it was my BC or not, but looking @ my journal like another post said, all my blow ups have been w/in 2 wks before my period. I feel so much better reading this, since once i stop i really think i will feel better. Before i was on lo estrin 24 and had to stop bc of mood swings, 2 months later i was so much better. I cant wait to get back to my normal happy self.

[lilskjbaby]

Oh, i have been exercising for the past 3 months and my weight hasnt changed @ all since ive started Yaz. no gain or eveninng losing. *sigh* i hate this so much. its nice to know im not crazy.

[rkb0305]

I had that same pain in the back of my head! It scared me, but it is gone, now that I'm off of it. The con of being off of Yaz is that my face is back to breaking out. Oh well. It was not worth it!

[Amberlee828]

I have been on yaz for 2 months now. Its been the worse two months of my life. I have horrible headache, my back constantly hurts, I want to hurt my boyfriend just for being there sometimes which is not fair to him. My sex drive- GONE! Im tired 24/7, I cant even make it through work some days. It made me super hungry and crave certain foods, but after i eat i feel sick to my stomach and sometimes throw up, its the worst feeling ever. I gain so much weight in a matter of a month. At 1st i didnt know what to think then I read this blog and it all seemed to make since. This is the 3rd pill i have tried and it has not worked, every pill does something horrible to me. But this pill is by far the wrost, im stopping it asap. I am a normally happy person, and im not anymore, i cant wait to get off of this mess and get back to normal!!!

[Dirtyhippy90]

I am 18 years old, and started taking YAZ to regulate my periods. YAZ wasn't my first choice, my Doctor strongly recommended it. I've been taking YAZ for four or five months now. The first few months were fine. The last few months, I've been waking up covered in sweat, having mood swings about nothing, and I've been having a odd discharge. The discharge has happened twice. Only when I miss a day of YAZ, but it still freaks me out, and likes to stick around for more than a week or so. Has anyone else had a similar problem with the discharge?

I'm not going to take YAZ anymore. Screw that sheeeit. I'ma stick to natural medicines from the Earth. Pills are lame.

[bjpop2]

I posted a few weeks ago and I stopped taking Yaz around May 25th.  Let me say that I am feeling so much better.  I have started to get my libido back my husband says that I am a warner person and getting back to my old self.  I can deal with my kids without wanting to blow up at them.  I have had some minor issues - my breasts are sensitive and I have some cramps and I still have 2 weeks before my period.  We will see how the pms goes this time.  My husband says he would rather see me have a period every couple of weeks then deal with the moodiness, coldness or lack of bedroom activities.

[nrj123]

Hello all!!  This was a very informative read!! thank you to all who wrote in.  I just started taking Yax 4 days ago. the last two nights i havent slept well.  I have Psorriasis and know that the reason its been acting up sooo bad is because of the Yaz.  He is 99% sterile i am debating on just going and paying attention to my cycle.  My dr. prescribed me this because i was on Depo and took myself off for the same reasons people dont like Yaz!!  My fiance is pissed!!  I also am trying to lose weight and gained while on Depo!! Is there a decent b.c. pill out there??  Should i just do it as naturally as i can being my fiances condition?  I am just soo glad i read this today and relieved i saw it before continuing.  I dont want to be depressed already depressed with my weight issues!!  We checked to see if i was pregnant before taking this pill so obviously i dont have a whole whole lot to really worry about becomming pregnant, its just not worth everything that comes with this(or any other pill) depending on the effects.  Its good that there are people who experience good with it but i see that that is like 5% out of all these posts. Thanks everyone feel free to reply and offer any suggestions to me!!

[irishmom56]

My 18 year old daughter has been on Yaz since 09/08.  Starting in 12/08 she complained of stomach pain.  The doctor said she was fine and gave her Prilosec.  She continued to complain for months and I wrote it off as stress from a teenager.  This past month I took the next step and took her back to OBGYN, he did a pelvic ultrasound and found nothing so he refered us to a Gastroenteroligist who perfomed an Sigmoidoscopy and and Upeer endoscopy.  Again they found nothing significant.  She is now on a powder supplement to take twice a day to bind her food.  After my own research I am leaning towards the YAZ as the cause.

[KPMONTCO]

I came to this site to see if Yaz makes people gain weigh. What I found really surprised me.  I actually have loved Yaz so far.  I used to be a mess for the entire week before my period, but with Yaz I had no more PMS and no more period.  Crazy.  But now I'm really drawing the conclusion that it might also cause depression.  I have noticed feeling down and out for no reason. I also find I want to be alone and also don't have a lot of energy. Although I experienced many good things from Yaz, I am going to stop taking it to see how I feel

[tab1234]

I have been on Yaz for about a year and half. The first year was ok, moody and I would cry alot, but I'm female and that happens. But I was out last night and talking to a friend about Yaz and she said that she had pretty much no sex drive from taking Yaz. I have been dealing with the same issue for about a year now. I just thougt something was wrong with me. This has cause a major issue with my boyfriend and our relationship. But after hearing her say that and reading this blog, I feel like a weight had been lifted. I don't feel like its me anymore. I'm calling the doctor tomorrow to talk about changing pills. Thanks to everyone for all the information!

[MLTChick]

Gosh I am amazed I never googled this sooner! I'm 23 and have been on Yaz for almost 2 years now. It had been great up until these last 6 months when I started noticing my sex drive had dimished to ZERO. My boyfriend has been so great and patient but has referred to the "good old days"--I'm only 23---the good days should be happening right now! I've also noticed that I just feel...off. I am the most optimistic, happy person you'll meet but these last few months I've been unnecessarily moody and really frustrated for no reason. I've also had 3 yeast infections in the last year! My stress levels have shot through the roof and I just have no energy or desire to hang out with my friends. Instead I stay at home and get frustrated with my boyfriend for stupid reasons and then cry myself to sleep. It seems like there are so many awful things said about each pill--I don't know what to do about birth control! It seems unnatural to put fake hormones into your body and I spend so much time eating healthy and exercising taking a pill just seems counter productive. But condoms just suck! What can you do?

[geli2011]

I started Yaz and thought I was really doing something. All I can say is beware. The doctor gave me the medicine so quick like it was okay. The first three months was great for me but by the time fall semester started, I was a emotional wreck. My parents and me were back and forth. My grades were like **** and I always felt "Alone and Depressed". I thought I was going insane. I stop taking them in Oct 2008. It is almost a year but the quitting side effects have been just as worst as taking the pills. The headaches have stopped but the mood swinging is there but slowly going away. Word of advice don't take it. I wish I could go back to before I took the pills. I was loving, happy and just out right joyful but once the pills kicked in that changed. I cried day in and out about some of the most stupid things. I didn't know at first what was going on but I realized it was the Yaz. On top of that I have gained 50 pounds so it just makes it worst. I would not use Yaz or any BC ever again.

[couture55]

i started taking yaz in march of this year, i would barely ever get my periods, sometimes 2 to 3 months would pass and still no period and when i did get my period, it was light and lasted 2 days the most. The first and second week i was fine, but the 3rd week, it went downhill! i was fighting with people and just kept thinking of thoughts to kill myself! i was crying that whole week, i couldnt believe it. i still kept taking yaz because i was told you wouldnt see results till months later. well after the 3rd week, i was getting better, i was happier and my emotions relax. I started running in may because i weigh 148 and wanted to lose weight, i slowly got to 138 and once i stop running, i started losing more and now im 133 because yaz has change the way i eat, i barely crave food, and when i do, i can only eat a little, i use to eat at night after coming home from work but since i started yaz i actually stop doing that, things are okay now but i recently started getting sharp chest pains where i can barely breathe and talk. And i get sharp pains on my side of my stomach, doctors say i am fine but don't know what to do to help with the pain, it comes randomly so i never know when ill get that pain. otherwise yaz has been good to me and brings my period at the end of every month, its not heavy or light and it lasts 4 days like it use too, i still get bloated though which ***** cause my stomach sticks out like im expecting twins! anyone know what i can do about the pain and what the hell is it anyways?

[dagratton]

My daughter started taking YAZ a couple of months ago.  At first things were OK, but she started changing about 1 month into it.  She cries all the time.  She has started to have crazy thoughts  that to her make sense and scare her (although to me sound silly).  She used to be a happy person all the time but now she's the complete opposite.  No self-esteem.  Her Dr recommended she finish her month but she had to stop mid-cycle.  This also happened to one of my other daughters' friends.  She was recommended to take Black Cohosh to lift her depression. We'll give it a try.  Here's hoping she's back to normal real soon!!!

[wdw_nutt]

I am 21 years old and a little over a year ago had surgery for a large ovarian cyst. They found during my surgery that I had endometriosis, which was then removed. Following this I was given the option of taking Yaz constantly (except on the 3rd month take 4 days of placebo pills, similar to "Seasonique" or getting the Depo Lupron shot monthly. I decided to take the Yaz route since I had read so many other horrible things about Depo Lupron (different from Provera). I had no problems in the beginning, in fact it was wonderful!! I had no periods at all anymore and was treating my endometriosis at the same time. I had never had sever-mild mood swings or bad acne (that's not the reason I was prescribed Yaz). It has come to my attention in the last 6 months or so that I was been extremely moody, I will cry at the drop of a hat, wake up in night sweats, I have increased blood pressure, and to top it all off my better half and mines sex life has decreased (never had issues with this before)!! I did not realize there were so many negative side effects to taking Yaz in a normal monthly pattern, never the less the way that I have been prescribed to take it. I'm not sure what to do since I HAVE to have a form of treating my endometriosis so that my chances of becoming pregnant in the future do not decrease!!

[rhaps]

I took yaz for almost 2 years and I have forgotten that there was ever a day that i WASN'T depressed, angry and moody.. That's all I ever was, and my period has been driving me nuts these entire two years. I get cramps, next day I get my period, it's either extremely heavy the first two days or extremely light. the 3rd day there is no bleeding. the 4th day it comes back and is extremely heavy and then it tapers off. Omg you can't imagine how annoyed this has made me. Somehow my boyfriend of 2 and a half years has stuck with me through all the tantrums and yelling and drama that came with this pill.
I stopped taking the pill about a month ago and I've been having pretty bad stomach pain for 2 weeks or so. It comes and goes.
I don't recommend taking this pill girls. It's messed me up hardcore. Not to mention how much weight I've gained, how sensitive my eyes have gotten to light, or how I would get random pains in my legs/chest that hurt really bad but would dissapear 5 seconds later.

[rkb0305]

This is my 4th post on this thread. I've been off Yaz for several weeks, now, and am feeling back to normal. I am really upset by the fact that some of our doctors don't seem to be aware of all these side effects. As others have posted, I went to the doc with my symptoms, and was tested for all kinds of things, but never did she mention the pill could be the cause. I figured that out myself. I wrote a letter to the doctor and cc'd Bayer Pharmaceuticals. I really think they need to be aware of all this, if they aren't already.  If you google Bayer mailing address, you should find a "Adverse Reactions" address to send a letter, and an e-mail address.

[pinkpurse]

I am 26, a runner, and not a smoker. I started feeling anxious on Yaz. I ended up having a heart attack after being on Yaz for three months. That was in April. I still feel anxious or have a heavy feeling in my  chest. How long does Yaz take to get out of your system?

[ifeelweird232]

i can't believe how many symptoms i seem to have that match other people's on YAZ.
I am ALWAYS tired and unmotivated to do anything. I feel like a bum, and worthless now. I get frequent migraines that put me out for hours. I have not had any sexual desire whatsoever and who knows how my boyfriend has put up with me. I guess I will be going off this demon pill and praying for the best. GOOD RIDDANCE!

[throwedoff28]

Im glad it not just me! I couldnt stand the headaches, stomach aches, and the feeling of being preganant all the  time every month. I was so depressed and irritated. my boyfriend hated me and still does, the symptoms are not going away in fact worse now. I had contionous spotting or prolonged periods, i have not been on my period 3 weeks how do i stop the madness?!

[Jmofish]

I just want to thank everyone for their post, I was really considering talking to my doc tomorrow about this pill, but now, NOT GOING 2 HAPPEN!!! I will try something else.

                   Thanks

[Carol1121]

Omg! I've been having all these weird symptoms, I thought I was dying! come to find out it's probably the Yaz. I stopped taking the pill for 2 days b/c I was feeling so crappy and I starting feeling better so then I took them the day after (not thinking the way I was feeling was due to the pills) I felt like **** the next day again, after reading all these reactions I'm 100% sure it's the pills making me feel this crappy! Just threw them in the garbage! I hope I'll b ok! I've been on the pill for almost a year and never had any problems other than a headache the day before my period. Thanx to everyone who shared they're story, now I know I'm not going crazy!!! I even took meds for chest congestion and acid reflux for which I've never suffered from! I even had the pain on the right side of my head, I thought that was just me but it's not!!!    

[team77]

Hi to all!  It has been one year this month since I almost died from taking YAZ for just 6 weeks.  My posts are under June 2008 from when I was in the hospital under team77
I asked the same questions about how long does it take to get out of your system.... well, the YAZ itself will be out in about 3 months but YAZ screws up all of your electrolytes (sp?) and vitamins and minerals.  I went to an integrative medicine doctor who gave me all of these IV.  I immediately felt better and I am 99% better today.  It took a year and ALOT of money that I am in alot of debt over, but worth it.  May and June 2009 are the first months I have gone without having an attack and I am grateful.  I live in NC and I went to Dr. John Pittman in Raleigh NC.  HIs website is:  www.carolinacenter.com      If you cannot get to him, find an integrative medicine MD in your area.  They understand how to check for mineral, electrolyte and vitamin problems and correct them. Tell them you took Yaz and they will know what to do.  Integrative MD's understand how bad Yaz really is.   Regular medicine will not do that.  They just give you more medicine that really does not help.  I was bedridden for 3 months and on a beta blocker, xanax for anxiety, zoloft, zofran, and 3 other meds I can't remember.  Regular MD's told me to go home and try to live the best life I could.  They basically dropped me.  Regular MD's don't look for these imbalances, they only treat the symptoms.  Nothing against reg. MD's they just can't help you well.  Trust me, the IV's an integrative medicine MD gives you will heal you and make you feel normal again and stop the anxiety, heart palpitations, depression, mood swings, high BP and all!  Please feel free to email me if I can help anyone back on a road to  health  ***@****
God bless you all!  Windy

[Cherken]

Hi, I would like to make sure a good comment gets in on this forum also. I'm so sorry for everyone who has had all these problems, and it's taken me 28 yrs to find one that works for me. I can say any LOW DOSE estrogen pill may help a lot of ppl here who are having such trouble with depression & mood swings.
I have been on Yaz for about 3 mos. It is a miracle drug for me. I have severe, disabling PMS - or so I thought that was it was ever since I first started my period at age 12. I'm 40 now. After starting Yaz, I feel like a normal person! I wondered if maybe it's working so well for me b/c I have PMDD. I read a lot about the condition & it describes me exactly. The week before is just horrible, then it ends when my period starts & the week after is the opposite. It's like Jeckyl & Hyde. But I'm not referring to even bad PMS. This is extreme moods, losing control of yourself & severe physical symptoms. It's like having a nervous breakdown & the flu at the same time every month.
I also have Multiple Sclerosis. The severe symptoms I get the week before my period make my MS flare up every month. So being on Yaz is an important treatment to managing my MS. Just this past week, my doctor's NP yanked me off the pill entirely. I'd never seen this woman before & she made this decision on her own. She's not my doctor. I was honest & told the regular nurse, as I always have every year, that I have a few cigarettes here & there during the summer. Stupid habit, but I did NOT know it was just as dangerous as a pack a day if you're 35+. If I knew I wouldn't have been doing it OR told them I was! This is so devastating. Now I'm faced with becoming very disabled without Yaz or the pill entirely because they won't even give me a 2nd chance.
If anyone out there has the symptoms I have and MS, look up PMDD and TRY Yaz!!! It could make you feel a million times better!!!!

[linds026]

I first want to thank everyone for sharing your experiences in honesty.  Before researching my symptoms, I was scared my mental health or hormones had taken a new turn due to aging, environmental stress, or worse - an unknown cause.  As a result of the physical and emotional changes I have been experiencing, I feel like I have pushed several people out of my life, put my job at risk, and am ruining a once healthy, wonderful relationship with my boyfriend of one and a half years.  I felt very alone in what I was dealing with, especially having my trend-happy doctors convincing me "It is just stress, not a result of the birth control", "Hmm, that's interesting, that can't be from the pills", or my favorite, "All the girls love it!  I'm surprised you don't like it".

I am 27, have not yet had children, have always had a petite, athletic body, and am generally happy with great self-esteem.  I started YAZ exactly one year ago, on my OBGYN's recommendation that this bc would not change me physically or emotionally (I had two concerns: I am sensitive to certain medication, and years before, a different bc had diminished my sex drive and made me emotionally numb).  It was spun to me as the next best thing; a pill that alleviates mood swings, acne, cramps and long periods, actually help to improve overall mood, and well, as far as sex drive, "None of the girls we've prescribed it to have ever complained about that!  I haven't really heard of that being a side effect, anyway.".  Not ever having PMS, mood swings, or other "menstrual" issues in the past, it sounded like YAZ could have nothing but positive effects.  After all, the doctors couldn't say enough about it or push it off the shelf fast enough!

For the past several months, I have assumed recent life events (new job, new bf, new house) were causing physical and emotional stress.  No doubt those life events played a part, but they were the catalyst, not the cause.  I realized this when I realized I had endured many more stressful and difficult times in my past, and my body and mind had never reacted this way.  However, with the demands of those life events, I hadn't even noticed how much my personality and mental health had changed, nor did I realize how big the gap had become between my loved ones and me.  Last weekend (ironically the last month of my Rx) opened my eyes.  I was in bed all day, had stomach problems that would make for a Pepto Bismol commercial, I snapped at my boyfriend all day, then either cried because he was crowding me or cried because he had given me space.  Although the weather was finally 80 and sunny, all I wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep.  When I wasn't crying or miserable, I felt numb, then would get upset wondering why I had no interest in life.  Sex was not only off-limits, it wasn't even a distant thought.  I was in constant mental turmoil for 16 hours; from the time I woke up with my period, to the time I took a sleeping pill and passed out.

I stopped taking the pill that day, after reading all of the blogs and message boards.  I am starting to feel better, but for now, it has only been one week and I'm feeling it is more the psychological satisfaction or hope that I will get better and mend the personal relationships.  I hope that my experience helps other woman out there and that no one has to experience what I did.  I just wish my doctors and I had taken the time to research this mini ticking time bomb before I went through this.  I have since found a lot of wonderful information about several bc methods and am looking into the copper IUD (Paragard) which does not contain any hormones.


Since on YAZ, I have experienced:
mood swings
bouts of anger and irritability
weight gain
physical and emotional distress
physical and emotional fatigue
random anger spurts
low-grade persistent headaches and mild dizziness
confusion, low mental clarity, inhibited decision making
anxiety, depression, insecurity, nervousness, worry
snapping at or distancing from loved ones
general disinterest in life, work, and relationships
limited to no sex drive or sexual arousal

[Evunia5]

stay away from YAZ!! I have been on it for a month and a half and I have been a complete mess! I blamed my mild depression on a breakup of a 2 week relationship....well i dont anymore after reading the above postings. I am a fighter so I really have been fighting through feelings depressed by excercising and going out with my friends and attepting to do things I really enjoy. I also noticed my hair getting thinner where my bangs are and I dont know if its related to the depression or they are really getting thinner.  I am debating whether i should continue yaz to the completion and then change the brand or just get off of it cold turkey. I guess i will know by the end of the day. SO LADIES, STAY AWAY FROM YAZ!!!!

[Sandyj27]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this forum. I took yaz for less than ONE WEEK b4 deciding to stop taking them. It increased my appetite drastically and made my mind feel "cloudy". Like I didn't know what to say. I suffer from pmdd and thought this might help but it's just not worth it. This is worse than ortho tricyclen

[Bri319]

so im 18 years old and am just starting my second month of yaz. i started yaz because my periods are very irregular and my cramps have always been rediculously awful. so this first month, my period started about a week early, which i was confused about..but it kept going. now that im on my TENTH day of my period, still incredibly heavy, cramps along with it off and on everyday, im wondering WHY i started this. also ive been depressed and i thought it was just me but it seems like its not. all i want to do everyday is stay home and sleep, even when people invite me out. if every month is like this then im going to have to find something else.

[cari77]

I am so happy to find this forum. Let me tell you a little about me I have been married for 12 years, My husband is in the military and is gone A LOT. I have 3 kids ages 11, 4, and 2. I was diagnosed with PCOS last year in July. I was sent to a Gyno, to prescribe me BC pills since this is the only treatment. I had lots of pain with my periods prior to getting on the pill. I started my first pack in Sept. of 2008. The first couple of months were great (i thought) I wasn't in any pain, I was losing weight, having normal periods. But, my moods were horrible. Then by January, I was doing nothing but laying in bed, had muscle pains, anxiety, adrenaline rushes, night sweats, indigestion,phantom pains in my legs, the back of my neck(brain pain), Rapid heart rate. Just to name a few. I  felt bad that my 11 year old was taking care of our other 2 kids. I went to the Dr. in Feb. because I had a panic attack out of nowhere. by the time I got to the dr's  the next day my resting heart rate was 120 BPM I had explained my symptoms, she was concerned because I had lost 20 lbs since I saw her last. She thought ulcer, anemia, or thyroid issues. All my blood work came back, everything was normal except for the thyroid which was slightly elevated. I was feeling more anxious because I literally thought I had cancer and no one was finding it. I took myself off the pill, then my symptoms escalated for about a month. I went back to the dr. at the end of April because I felt I was going to have a heart attack, My heart rate for 2 1/2 months never fell below 100.she gave me some blood pressure pills to slow the heart rate. I didn't take them out of fear that I would pass out with my 2 year old at home.  She refered me to an endocrinologist. It took 1 month for me to get in to see him. In that time my symptoms slowed. Except now I am losing my hair in handfuls. I have relayed to the endocrinologist everything if not more than I have posted here. He ran all the blood work needed and everything was normal. He and I have concluded it was the Yaz. I have since sworn off any and all medications, and now I have had 2 days in the last month where I have felt  any symptoms. I  am still losing my hair as a side effect of the stress my body endured. I hope to regain my thickness in the months to come and gain some more weight. I also hope to be symptom free SOON.

P.S. I hope this post saves at least 1 person from having felt like a year of their life was pulled out from under them.

[CarolBabae]

I went on YAZ over a year ago.  I had bad periods, acne, and got pretty bad PMS/cramps.  I thought it would be perfect.  I am now so happy it gave me high blood pressure and the doctor made me stop taking it.  I had no idea it was the source of all my problems.  After reading this, I think YAZ should be recalled.  While I was on it I was extremely angry.  I got into a fight with my boyfriend in public and over a year later, people dont let me live it down.  On top of the guilt I have from getting almost uncontrollably angry at the people I love, I got high blood pressure.  Luckily, my loved ones knew this wasnt the real me and stuck with me.  The things I'm trying to repair in my life are because of my anger from those days on YAZ and my high BP from YAZ.  Sure enough, when I got off YAZ I returned to my normal self.  My BP is slowly returning to normal, and I feel free, so much happier.  YAZ IS HORRIBLE!    

[delilah718]

I got on YAZ three months ago. I finished my third pack today, and have decided to quit. Initially, I had brown spotting for almost a month, severe problems sleeping (falling asleep and staying asleep), weight gain (15lbs!), and a total lack of energy all together. Each month the symptoms remained constant if not worse. I am a healthy eater (vegan) and jog on a weekly basis, so the weight gain surprised me. The only benefit I found in taking YAZ was the increase in breast size (I was much smaller before), but comparing that to the overall effect it created on my energy, self confidence and mood – I gotta stop!

I will see if the weight gain, sleep problems, somber mood, etc. decreases once I go without it. I just need to know if it was all caused by this one small pill, or if maybe – possibly – it was sparked from something else. I think that this pill can work for others (since we all function differently and react to pills differently ), but in my own personal experience YAZ has done more bad to me than good.

I hope all you ladies stay positive during your BC struggles. And remember, you are not alone in your symptoms! 

[dr_sister]

Like someone before me posted - I feel like I could have written almost all of these posts. This is the second time I have taken Yaz. The first time was about a year ago but I went off it because after three months I saw no improvement in my skin, but had no bad side effects. This time, however was completely different. It started off by having horrible headaches. I have gotten migraines from a young age, but these were different types of headaches, like nothing I have experienced before. Then, on two occassions I experienced SEVERE headaches immediately after having an orgasm (I have not had my blood pressure checked but think this could be the cause). For the past month I have noticed that I have been taking everything my boyfriend says to me so seriously to the point that I cry uncontrollably. I have also snapped at him and cursed at him a number of times for no reason. We are fighting about nothing because I am turning every little thing into a fight. This week is the last week of my third pack and it has been the worst yet. I have felt like crying everyday. I cried 3 times yesterday and already once today. I definitely will not be starting my fourth pack. I had a similar experience when taking a rx for acne called spironolactone, which blocks all testosterone. I turned into a completely different person. I was like a zombie and always felt the urge to break down in tears, exactly like on Yaz. Perhaps I will try switching brands, but I'm not sure if it is worth going through this again.

[bellavera]

hello all,
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT I HAVE HAD A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PILL.
  i first want to say that i feel extreme compassion for all of the women who experience such intense and uncomfortable side effects.  
unfortunately, like all durgs or substances, i believe how YAZ effects your body depends on where you start from. I am a dancer and have'nt taken the pill for 14 years.  i'm 34 and probably 10 times more active than the average woman , for the most of my life.  for personal reasons, i decided to try the pill for a few months and like many of you, my doctor enthusiastically suggested YAZ.  i am currently on my second month.  the first month, the only thing that bothered me was bleeding like i had a period from the 2nd week to the middle of the third week.  i recognize that the body has an adjustment period, so i did'nt freak out.
now i am into my third week of the second pack and i am bleeding a bit, but much lighter and less bothersome.  I occasionally have discomfort in the abdominal area and have to go to the bathroom a bit more often than i would like, but in general the small discomfort from the first month has subsided.  i have noticed that i am, in fact not as emotional or impulsive and can calm myself down much quicker than before.  i never was diagnosed w/ pmdd or any extreme PMS, but thought it was interesting that i feeel more "emotionally stabalized"  since taking the pill.  as for my weight, i have'nt gained a pound, actually maybe lost a few and my **** are 1/2 cup fuller, which i LOVE.  they are a bit tender most of the time, but its only bothersome when i'm working and partnering in which case i wear 2 bras.  I get lots of compliments about my body and **** -- i am thinnner w/ bigger boobs. . .and I, once again am in the dance world so thats a nice thing at my age.
i have experienced slight headaches on the left side of my head, which go away quickly and i am still monitoring the effects hoping that by my third month they diminish.
i realize that there is an adjustment time as the body gets used to the hormones and a few slight side effects are expected.  i, however, have not found that they interfere with my life.

as for the fatigue, weight gain, etc., i believe that because i have been so active all of my life, my body is processing the pills easier/ in a different way.  unfortunately, esp. in America a lot of young women are inactive and overwieght to begin with and there is also a tendency to ignore how diet effects skin, weight, mood.  i think if young women feel especially negative effects from this (or any other pill), they should stop and examine their general health how the foods (fast food, excessive meats (treated w/ hormones), soda, processed snacks etc.) affect their moods and diets regardless of the pill.

BTW.  i take the pill at night before i sleep & have not noticed any nausea.  i have increased my water intake and take 'Rainbow Light" women's "just once" daily vitamin.  as a dancer, i 'excercize'/ am in motion from 2-8 hours a day/ 6 days a week.  also, whenever i do feel a slight headache or fatigue and would rather sleep in, i have pushed myself to get up & take class & the headache goes quickly and the rest of the day i am bounding with energy.  i have also begun taking "rescue remedy" flower essence drops which are all natural and are wonderful for emotional distress and overall balance.

i will post again in a month as i start my third pack and am hoping that the spotting subsides and i feel even better! good luck to you all and whether you're on this pill or not, please be active, eat well & take care of your bodies! they are our temples!

[carolinacshell]

I have had most all the symptoms noted by other women here, and in addition, I was hospitalized one month ago - and almost DIED - because of YAZ!!!! Turns out, it caused blood clots in my legs, which resulted in bi-lateral pulmonary embolism (clots traveled to both my lungs)!!!! This is a known side effect of this drug, yet my gyno never, ever made me aware of this when she prescribed YAZ, nor did my primary care dr recognize the symptoms (leg swelling, pain in legs and chest, shortness of breath) when I had a physical just a few months before I ended up in the ER/ICU! Please, please discuss the potential side effects with your dr and carefuly consider whether this pill is worth the risks...and there are many! In addition, there are blood tests than can determine whether you have genetic markers which predispose you for blood clots, and this test should be taken before you begin ANY birth control/estorgen therapy!

Best of luck to all, especially those recovering from the debilitating and life-threatening effects of YAZ!!!!!

[susannnnn]

im 18. Ive been on Yaz for a little over a month. the first few weeks i had horrible anger emotional issues, but i thought it was just my PMDD. it IS supost to help that, but im not stupid enough to think it'll work its full magic within 1-2 weeks. over the past month ive been having bad confusion episodes, crying every few days. but to be honest, thats just..what i do. hah i was just diagnosed bipolar with bad axietly issued and im going to start on pills for that soon. im def not going to blame the emotional issues ive been having severly on this pill cuz im an emotioanl person in the first place. and like i said i know its supost to help with PMDD (not PMS), but ive only been on it one full month so far. it says in the booklet that the first few months may be hard and something about symptoms increasing.. so im going to trust that for now and NOT stop. i really need some sorta releif from my PMDD. specially since i AM bipolar on of that, ya know. which just makes EVERYthing worse in general. i know this pills not gunna fill me with happyness and cure me or something, so im def going to give it some time...with any sort of medication you start your supost to give it a few months, unless it gets hospital-worthy/almost death-symptoms, then yes you should maybe stop hah. but thus far its just been the confusion basiclly. a little weight gain, but thats def a normal thing i see and i already knew. its been really bad the past week or so..i thought it was just me but it might be the pill. but im going to let it go a few more months and if it REALLY gets bad then ill stop. i moved from a little town i lived in since i was 3 months old about 9 months ago, and im starting at a new school in a new big city..i dont need anymore strain on me. i dont need anymore confusion than i already have haha. i need something that'll help, but im not gonna be fully relient on it, or give it all the blame.. im just hopeing for the best.

[kna93]

Ive been on Yaz for 3 months now, I was on a generic of Levilite and my obgyn switched me to Yaz. In May after I started my first pack I woke up with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. It lasted about 12 hours. I went to the dr. and he thought it was just a virus. In June after I started my second pack I had the same thing happen again. This time it was only 6 hours. After I started my third pack in July, I woke up again with severe pains and vomiting. I went to the emergency room and got a shot for pain. For a while I felt completely better, but that night I started getting extremely bad cramps around my ovaries. The next morning I still had it. Im going to see my obgyn today, but none of this started until I was on Yaz.

[kellyb1144]

I have been on YAZ for 3 weeks now and I HATE it. I have been trying to regulate my periods since 12/08 and so far, finding a good BC has been super challenging for me. I have very regular, but very awful periods. They come every 21 days. That means that I basically bleed 2x a month. My doctor checked me for a bleeding disorder, but did not find one. First we tried the patch. That would not stay on, but I loved the results. Then we tried the ring, which would not stay stable inside me, as I have a tipped uterus. Then she tried LoEstra,which was great, but I didn't have a period for 3 months and my GP felt that was was not right, either. Finally, 3 weeks ago, he put me on YAZ. I hate it. I feel cruddy, I have sweats for everything....even just hanging curtains. I am exhausted and lethargic and I am puffy in my belly area. Granted I could lose a good 40 pounds, but I still know my body and I hate this stuff. I am bummed and zombi-ish and I am moody...God am I am moody. I hate this stuff. I simply stopped taking it today and found this site. Frankly, I have read most of the posts and I can tell you that there are many more negatives on here than the few positives. If it works for you, super. But for most of us, it sounds like it does not. I am calling my Dr. and telling him I'm done. The only one that will take care of me at the end of the day is me.
Good luck, ladies.

[MeyMck]

I was on YAZ for a little over a year. My gyno suggested I get on it since I had random cases of anxiety .It helped with my anxiety and my mood swings, and I did not gain or lose a pound, but I did have trouble concentrating. Then, about 2 months ago I started getting chest pain.  I decided to get off of the pill just because I knew Yaz had some sort of hormone and added potassium in it that is much harder on your liver and heart.  Anywho, I have been off for about a month now. My chest pains are still there but I am hoping they will go away once my body adjusts back to normal. I am only 27, and am in shape and no where near overweight. I am recently married and want to have kids in the near future so I just going to stay off of bc but I highly recommend LoEstrin24Fe.I was on it for about 3 years and I LOVED LOVED LOVED it! I too am praying that Yaz does not have irreversable effects on my body:(

[lnc0904]

On March 11, 2006 I started taking birth control for the first time, ortho tri cyclen lo.  One month later I started noticing that I was depressed, angry, snapping, no sex drive and so on.  I let it continue until March 25, 2008.  At that time I had made the connection between my behavior and the birth control.  I decided to try yaz because of I thought it might get rid of these symptoms.  The first week I thought it might be getting better, but it has just been more of the same.  My behavior has been affecting my whole life and I just can't take it anymore.  I need to stay on birth control because I can't live with the stress of thinking I'm pregnant every month. Does any one know of a birth control method that doesn't have these symptoms? I just want to feel like myself again.

[Little_Blue]

I've been on Yaz for almost 6 months now, and I have not felt myself sense day one. I am very moody, and angry which has never been a problem for me before. I have developed hernias and stomach problems to where I cannot eat specific foods. I've also gotten a lot of bladder infections ever sense I started taking the Yaz. My breasts are always hurting, and my weight leaps all over the scale, no matter how healthy or unhealthy I eat! I'm always tired and my eyes have dark circles under them sense month 2 of the Yaz. My periods are lighter, and last up to 5 days, which is nice. Sometimes I get horrible cramps though.
My doctor told me to wait it out for about 3 months, but I cannot handle this anymore. I'm very emotionally stressed, and becoming worse. It's starting to effect my relationships with friends, family, and my boyfriend which is something I'd hate to loose because of a pill. I've never been this way in my life! :(
I don't recommend anyone take Yaz, unless you have serious PMDD. It was worth a shot! Now my doctor has prescribed me a much lighter, more commonly, effective, and liked Birth Control. :)

[coppercoin]

Hi everyone, I have been off of Yaz for about 8 months now. I was taking it for almost a year when i decided it was in my best interest to quit. I must say for me the first few months were not that bad except for an initial 2 week period. I noticed throughout the time i was taking it that i became moody and anxious, i also had problems concentrating and began gaining weight, at least 20 lbs over the time i was taking it. I was always a very calm person and had normal periods with very little PMS before beginning to take the pill. After about 3 months of taking the pill my blood pressure began going up gradually and after about six months i began having heart palpatations, i did not have any problems with this prior to taking YAZ. This is why i decided it was best to quit taking it. Throughout the months that i have been off of it my periods have been very irregular. I've skipped periods for months then had very long periods, I'm wondering if anyone else has had problems like this after discontinuing YAZ. I figured that it would take a few months for my cycles to get back to normal, but this is getting ridiculous. My moodiness and heart palpitations began going away shortly after i quit taking the pill, and i don't want to have to resort to taking another pill just to re-regulate my cycle. I have an appointment with my ob/gyn. Just wanted to know if others have had these long term issues as well? I realize that this pill may be great for some women, but i'm beginning to doubt the use of many hormonal contraceptives in women who don't have hormonal problems...

[GlenW]

A young relative of mine was on Yaz and experienced severe side-effects, was hospitalized and treated until the initial crisis passed, was taken off Yaz, but continues to have residual, severe complications 6-9 months post.  Her current medical team doesn't seems to be doing anything that resolves her problems.  Does anyone here have the name of a specialist in treating severe Yaz side-effects that I could contact?  Thanks.  

[AlyDreamer84]

I was put on Yaz 1.5 years ago after my Ortho-tricyclen stopped helping clear up my skin and cramps.  At that point in my life I was very stressed already (bad job, horrible roommate, moved 2x in one year, etc.) so I put off all the side effects as being "stress related".  Now, after getting my own place, a new job, and a wonderful boyfriend, it suddenly dawned on me that I was still feeling anxious, depressed, angry, mildly nauseaus, unable to sleep, horrible dreams (mostly about dying or people I knew dying, being attacked, really violent nightmares).  I was exhausted ALL the time and had headaches and loss of appetite.  Since there was no more stress to blame it on, I considered seeing a therapist to find out if I was just going crazy.  Then one of my friends mentioned having adverse reactions to her BC, and another friend told me she had to get off Yaz a few months ago for the exact same set of symptoms!  So I sat down and thought about it, and sure enough, all of the symptoms started showing up after the BC switch.  I never had ANY of this on the Ortho!  The mood swings are absolutely insane- I'm talking a full on breakdown over a burnt dinner, angry enough to tear my hair out over running 20 minutes late, unable to even enjoy my pets because every little thing they did was grating on my nerves.  I really thought I was losing my mind.  Then I started looking around and found literally dozens of pages like this, each with hundreds of entries from women having the same problems with this pill.  It gives me hope.  I stopped the Yaz last week, and in one more week will be restarting my Ortho.  I can't wait to feel like myself again.  If anyone is using this product and having doubts, DON'T WAIT!!  You'll lose valuable time that you can never get back suffering the side effects from this product.  If you're using it and you like it, then great, I'm so glad it's worked for you.  I don't want to say that this is a horrible product all around because I know for some people it is a lifesaver.  But for those of you who wonder if this is what's causing your problems, please, stop taking it now!  Better safe than sorry.  

[SandyK920]

I haven't been on Yaz for quite 2 months; I was put on it to help regulate my hormones due to premenopause . . well it's stopped the hot flashes and night sweats . . I'm already clinically depressed and on anti depressants . . but I've never felt so down and depressed in my life . . and yes fleeting thoughts of suicide . . and unable to handle anything out of the norm . . all I want to do is sleep . . feel tired and achy . . and my migraines are now off the chart . . instead of one a month I'm getting 4 or 5 . . and I'm pretty much spotting every single day . . after reading this blog and about the side effects I'm done . . I'm stopping the pill and going to my doctor . . I'm 48 and have enough health problems, don't need the darn pill creating more  . . . good luck to all of you . .

Sandy

[byzantium87]

I've been on Yaz for 8 months now and had a baby a year ago, and at first it was all find and dandy, but after the 2 month taking it; i missed one day in the first week of my 3 month and did the recommened 2 pills the next day. Then two days after I started spotting but i continued with the pill each day, It turned into full blown period after 4 days and it continued for the whole month, when i got to the white pills i stopped and didn't continue with the next pills it took me a week and half after i stopped taking the white pills for my period to stop. I thought maybe my body was just trying to get use to having periods again because of the baby and breastfeeding. so when my period stopped i started again, that month was fine; my period started and stopped in the four days with the white pills. So i started my next pills but a week and a half later my period started again. So far my period has been ever week and a half for the last 3 months with light bleeding between, I've stopped using Yaz a month and a half ago. but it still every week and a half, And now it feels like Ive been hit by a truck with this last one.
I'm going to try and switch to a different form of birth control.

[mscorvette200]

I'm a 35 year old woman and I'm experiencing blood clots, headaches, lost of sex drive & fatigue. I recently started taking my anti depressants(Zoloft) thinking that it was life, because the recession is stressing everyone. But my mom told me to look online & check the side effects for YAZ and here I am reading all these posts. I have only been taking Yaz for a month & I'm already clotting & feeling the wrath of this medicine. I wont be taking these anymore. Has anyone had a consultation with an attorney. I have seen the class action lawsuit commercials. That's what mad me start noticing the side effects.

[jphan2]

I really think you need to try different birth controls, including different oral contraceptives, IUDs, the patch/ring, etc. Everyone reacts differently to everything. If something doesn't work, move on.
I was on ortho tri cyclen lo twice, and had horrible side effects both times. Migraines, severe depression, sense of hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, nightmares and trouble sleeping (used to sleep like a rock), extreme anger, weight gain, etc.
Since going off it I am now back to being myself. I've only been off Ortho for a month and already am the happy go lucky person I used to be.
I'm now about to try Yaz. I plan on giving it a month to see how I adjust before filling the prescription. I might not like it either and end up switching again. But its worth it to try to find what works for me.
I advise anyone switching birth control or going on it for the first time to pay attention to changes, mental and physical. Doctors tend to dismiss things, and make excuses. But you know who you are and if something isn't right. Also ask close family/friends to look out for changes in your behavior.
It is a damn shame that we can't find a way to better prevent pregnancy without practically killing ourselves with the side effects. Additionally I would like to comment that a drug being approved by the FDA means nothing anymore.
I am a pharmacy student and believe me, it takes very little work to get a drug approved. It is scary the things that can be perscribed to people that haven't even been thoroughly tested. We are now the guinea pigs.

[Qdaily]

I've been on YAZ for a year now, and up until the last couple months everything was perfect. My doctor originally prescribed this for my heavy and painful periods. About 3 or 4 months ago i started spotting in between my periods, and i started to experience more painful cramping. Around this time i also started to feel depressed for no apparent reason and would start to cry about the littlest things. I've been experiencing painful headaches daily, and my emotions are through the roof. I have developed anxiety, and have random panic attacks with what it seems no cause or trigger. I'm convinced now more so than ever that this is my body's reaction to YAZ. I would advise anyone seeking this pill for any other reason other than birth control to be wary of its many side effects both physiological and psychological. This pill isn't worth the amount of money every month, or the severe mood swings.

[Robyn1234]

I've been on yaz for 7 months now. I started taking it after the birth of my daughter as it was recomended by the doctor. My mood swings are uncontrolable now. Ive been feeling increasingly depressed and have even had suicidal thoughts, mostly in the lead up to my period. My cycle is not fitting with the pills, my periods have never started when i take the white ones, always the week after when i am back taking the pink pills. my periods are not lighter or shorter in duration. Ive have been so upset and emotional the past week i have decided to change pill. reading all the above posts it seems i am not alone. im glad its not just me!

[caw444]

I have gained a ton of weight on YAZ too.  But.. I have thyroid issues and take synthroid.  Anyone have any info on how YAZ may affect my synthroid??  THanks for all of the great info.

[insanebabe]

umm hey i just turned 16 like 3 months ago && was put on the pill about a week before i turned 16... i am entering the 3rd month pack of pills... i have literally had the worse mood swings ever. i have been taking everything so personal. i have been having issues with my personal life becuase of it.. for the last 4 days it has all intenseafied... i have been literally crying for 4 days straight, just for no reason. tonight my boyfriend came home from work && i just lost it as soon as i saw him. i am starting to have really bad migrains again && i have been having trouble sleeping. && just everything has been stressing me out. i am not sure if its like the pill or if maybe new hormones from being a teen but i did have problems simiular to this on my last birth control. ugh i have no idea what to do

[Cass567]

I am 22 years old I started taking Yaz 3 monthes ago, after experiencing a miscarrige, my doctor thought it would help normalize my body by balancing the hormones from pregnancy. I didnt think that the issues I have been having came from yaz, I just thought I was depressed over my loss, but after reading this maybe it is a contributing factor, it is hard for me to tell you see because bother happened around a similar time period. I am a small girl already, and I have lost 10 lbs, I am down to 89lbs and am scared that im going to keep losing weight. I am also having severe headaches, nausea, and lack of appetite. I have had major mood swings and depressing thoughts but I dont know if this is due to my feelings over the miscarrige and my fiance leaving me 2 weeks after or the birth control. do you think it could be both?

[erbear]

I just started my second pack of Yaz. My doctor prescribed it because I have PCOS and never ending, very heavy periods. As soon as I took the first pill my period stopped and I didn't have any spotting or bleeding.  It was awesome--especially since I had been on a very heavy period for the past 3 months straight! Yesterday was the second day of my first period since starting YAZ and I woke up really nauseous with a dull pain in my lower abdomen. By mid-morning the pain became excruciating!!! The pain was so horrendous that I was sweating, shaking, and I felt like I was going to pass out! It hurt so bad all I could do was lay on the floor and cry! The pain lasted for about 2 hours (too long!) and I've been fine since. Other than those horrible two hours I have loved YAZ. It has lessened my facial hair and has made my skin so beautiful!  I am concerned however about continuing it after I finish this pack because of all I have been reading about it.

[wmaheu2375]

I was put on Yaz 6 months ago and hate it.  I have gained weight that I can't seem to control.  I have seperated from my husband because of the person I have become.  I sweat constantly and I have uncontrollable sadness and anxiety when arising to my period.  I also have spotted for the last 2 months and it is driving me crazy.

I don't suggest anyone take this.  I am contacting my doctor ASAP to try to change my birth control.  This is not helping any longer

[TeagueMom]

I'm so glad I stumbled onto this forum. I thought I was losing my mind. I had a sneaking suspicion my sudden severe angry outburstsheadaches, weight gain, and staggering bouts of depression might be linked to the Yaz I'm taking. My Dr. gave it to me to regulate my neverending periods (sometimes up to 40 days of bleeding); and for the most part it worked. I hike everyday in 100 degree weather and drink up to a gallon of water a day in addition to eating healthy food and I have gained weight this summer! My cramps come and go throughout the month and they are severe even though my flow is minimal. I constantly lose my temper with my little son and instantly feel horrible. I'm mean to my husband and I've never been like this before.  I take no joy in life; this is not me. I'm usually a very passionate and joyful person who always sees the glass as half full. My entire family has seen the negative change in me and I was considering asking my doctor for antidepressants. I know my mom worries about me watching my son because I'm so upset. All of  your posts break my heart and I thank you for sharing! Should I quit today or finish out my pac (a week left)?

[Pill_hater]

Stop now!! This pill should be taken off the market! Yaz has ruined me since the time I started taking it. It has made me crazy, caused weight gain and cellulite, and affected my emotions in a bad way. I never put two and two together until my friend saw the commercial about it. I have been off of it for about 3 weeks now and can already tell a difference in myself.
I'm 27 and have experienced things with Yaz that I never had a problem with before. I developed anxiety, cellulite, and became very jealous and annoying with my boyfriend. I snapped at my mom, I hated my job and people. I used to work-out almost everyday and all of the sudden, I lost all interest in getting off my a**! I started drinking more often and would drink because I was upset about the way I had become. I can't believe I never realized it was from hormonal evil YAZ!!

[Sarsquirrel]

Hi...I'm not entirely sure that I have a lot of anything new to add, but I wanted to share my experiences with Yaz as well...misery loves company, right?  ;-)

I'm 27, almost 28, years old, and I've always been a little underweight.  I took OrthoNova 777 a few years ago for about a year and didn't really have any problems, except that it took a while for the nausea to subside.  When I decided to get on BC again in March and my doc suggested Yaz, I really wasn't too sure I wanted to try it, because I'd already heard bad things about it...but I trusted the doctor, so I said "sure."  She said that it wouldn't make me gain weight, but it does make you really hungry, and that it has a possibility of causing blood clots, so I should be sure to watch for severe leg cramps and things like that.  I went home and typed in a search about Yaz...and found this site.  I was pretty scared, honestly, but again, I thought my doctor knew best; also, I have a good friend that is a pharmacy tech and she said that most people that have complaints are younger and aren't quite hormonally balanced to begin with.  

At first, it didn't seem so bad; I don't have bad skin problems, but the little that I have had seem to have all but disappeared.  The doc wasn't kidding about the hunger thing; I am starving ALL the time, and I may have put on a few pounds, but nothing noticeable.  My periods are regular; they start exactly 28 days from each other, but they're awfully strange...I don't really know how to describe it without being a little too graphic; they're just...odd...  Up until recently, I haven't had any cramping issues, but this past month, my stomach felt awful the day I started.  I HAVE had to go to the bathroom a lot more lately, but that isn't really that big a deal.

The worst has been the odd random pains, the mood stuff, and the fatigue.  A few months in, I noticed a kind of disturbing throbbing in my lower left abdomen; it now hurts all of the time, although the exact location moves around.  I have felt more and more exhausted, and my head has begun having stabbing pains; they don't last very long, but they are excruciating.  As far as mood stuff goes...I just haven't felt right, mostly since July.  Lately, all I think about at work is how my fiance is going to leave me for someone else one day and that our whole relationship is completely futile; when I get home, I have no interest in anything, and all I ever really want to do is sleep.  I feel like I can't concentrate on anything anymore, and there have been several occasions in the last few weeks where I've nearly lost my temper at work with some of my patrons...not exactly a great characteristic at your place of employment. Last week, my body started hurting all over -- back, shoulders, and jaw, mostly -- but the thing that scared me the most is the new chest pain.  It's right under my left breast, and it comes and goes, but it's not exactly something one wants to experience, y'know?  

I could be just completely paranoid...I mean, I did have fearful expectations of this drug from the start, and those commercials on tv talking about how you should call this lawyer if you or a loved one have had terrible experiences and/or died from taking Yaz prolly haven't helped...but I still stopped taking the pill yesterday and have scheduled a doctor's appointment for Tuesday morning.  I feel like I should have done it sooner, but going in and saying, "Oh I have weird aches and pains and just feel weird" seemed sort of borderline hypochondriatic.

For the record, my pharm tech friend has advised me to stop taking Yaz; she says there are 32 lawsuits and counting regarding the pill.  You can find out more about that on aboutlawsuits.com.  

[Ari603]

Hi Guys!!!!!!

Well I'm 23 years old....and I started taking birth controll/Yaz for the first time in my life, I've been taking them for 2 months now ....I've noticed I havent been myself lately....and decided to talk to someone about how i've been feeling(my mom) my younger brother overheard the conversation and he actually suggested that it might be the birth-controll pills ive been taking....(sounds weird but while trying to get my cell out of my purse he saw the blueish little pack and ask what that was, so he was aware of me being on birth-controll) so he immedietly got online and started reserching side effects for YAZ and he ran into this website, I was very shock to see all of these posts of people that have similar if not the same side effects, both my mom and brother are worried because they know me better than anyone and know that this is not like me.  

I feel like I have this huge cloud over my head, everything seems pointless, I have absolutely no desire to even hang out with friends, I have mild headaches trough out the day, I feel very sad ALL the time and I cry a lot any little thing I hear or see has me in tears, I have had suicide thoughts while driving this week, Im just not happy with life, and I seem to get annoyed very easily and angry...I've been feeling more tired than usual I've been getting verry irritated when my 2yr old cries and trows fits Im usually not this irritated by him and Im also very hungry all the time........As of today Im no longer taking this pills I want to go back to the normal me and enjoy life, want to have that desire again to live life to the fullest.........I cant believe that I never thought it could be from the birth controll pills I was taking.....and this page has helped me to confirm it. No more YAZ for me

Guys please be very carefull=)

[stopping_yaz]

My experience of yaz side-effects.

I really thought I was going insane and my family was going to have to put me away. I have been on Yaz birthcontrol since I was 17 years old and stopped using it 6 months later because I was feeling terrible all the time and had extreme cramps. I got pregnant 6 months after that had a handsome baby boy now 11 months. I have been taking yaz since he was about 3 months and feel horrible all the time. I am very irritated by EVERYTHING. I am getting into constant arguements with my boyfriend and he thinks its the pills that are making me Crazy and from reading all these posts I am believing him. I have lost my sex driveand have been extremely depressed and feel suicidal, I am always stressed out and have this pain in my head that isn't a headache I was seriously thinking I have a tumor. When I do feel all these symptoms I can feel what feels like my heart skipping a beat and is extremely scarry. Once I felt as if I was going to die. I am only 21 years old and have the rest of my life ahead of me and I am stopping these horrible pills immediately. They are a danger and need to be studied more before they let this happen to more innocent women.

Please be careful before taking this pill and consider all these posts from women who have suffered these horrible side-effects.

[penta119]

  First and foremost i am so glad i found this forum!!!!! i literally read over 100 posts! I am i month away form my 20th birthday and i was prescribed YAZ in Oct of 07 as a first time bc user ...Reading all this has made all the puzzle pieces fall into place. i feel like a need to be committed it is 3 am and i came downstairs to Google "side effects of YAZ bc" because i was in bed crying, because my bf put his finger in my ear, i snapped fat him to stop and he said "fine!" jokingly mind you, but then i busted into tears???? what!?!? excuse the stupid details but that's just it, that situation made me feel like that..and that's what Ive been dealing with
  Ive noticed my symptoms more increasingly over the past couple months, im glad im not the only one with the crazy sharp isolated pain on the right side of my brain i had to take pain killers for a full week just to function i put it off as my first migraine because i was sensitive to light and sound and my mother and grandmother have debilitating ones..before that i had been experiencing insane dizziness, now that i think about it it got worse when i turned my head to the right..i couldn't even move without feeling like i was on the gravetron i had to stumble my way into the bathroom, i ripped the rugs off the floor, stripped off my pjs because i just couldn't cool down and laid there for an hour feeling waves of nausea..i have been to the doctor for chest pains  about a year ago and found out my EKG had a "area of interest" which led to the ultrasound of my heart where they saw that my mitral valve beats irregularly (palpitations) most people have slight cases but mine had never been there before, recently a co worker and i started with a personal trainer and i had the hardest time getting any weight to come off.Ive always been athletic to a degree, soccer when i was younger, gymnastics, rode horses just always fit my norm is about 128-130 well Ive been as far as 150 recently and i thought well your getting older but it just wont come off..OK embarrassing moment ..everyone has done what i like to call the "big girl dance" to get into those jeans the lunges, squats you know..well while performing said dance the other day i busted a seam! in jeans! absolutely devastating..and my stomach no matter if i have eaten haven't eaten, have a cracker or a four course meal i will get nauseous which got put off as my acid reflux.which has gotten increasingly worse
   Those where the physical, now the mental is a whole other ball game! i am normally a very bubbly goofy fun down to earth person laid back i wont get to flustered about things but i have notice that sometimes i feel depressed other times its just feeling down and blue, some days ill be fine, but i mean i will bust out crying at the drop of a hat, MOODY MOODY mood swings, feel alone and sad, i take things way personal, i feel anxious,always feel run down.and Ive always been a little self conscious but with the weight gain and the everything's against me feeling the simplest thing will happen and within 5 mins Ive thought up every crazy horrible scenario that could be, nightmares, night sweats, my sex drive has been fine no problems there but just definitively the feeling of "what is wrong with me i am a F***** crazy right now!" and i know its outta my character so i try to hide it or hold it in and its like you know your over reacting or you know your feeling anxious but you cant stop it you keep crying or u keep asking stupid questions and put your foot in your mouth, and like another girl said i always forget things or feel like i have delayed reaction ..... for example my boyfriend and i are lighthearted all the time we pick at each other for fun (no personal attacks) and that's how its been for 4 and a half years and he is just the best thing you could ask for and just being around him makes me happy..we have a joke that im the tortoise and he the hair. lately Ive been getting worse with the crazies and Ive made him feel like i don't trust him and i dont even want to go to work im so tired..i know Ive rambled but im so very glad i found this because its as iff all the stories are my own..if YAZ works for you great..i wish i would have searched this sooner i have my annual gyn exam in October and ive been wondering if it was my bc but now i KNOW IT IS! thanks to everyone who posted on this subject i feel like i have some piece of mind now knowing that i can make the crazies go away i will definitely be discontinuing my prescription honestly im scared to stop i dont know how long it will take to get outta my system ..oh well anythings better than this best wishes to all

[kLotus]

Hello Ladies,

I have been taking Yaz for one year exactly now. The main reason for it was my severe agne and I must say that it's helped me 100%. I have been suffering though, from severe Migraines. To such point were I haven't made it to work a few times. It's also made me extra sleepy and I can never get out of bed ( I have always been a morning person with a need of no more than 6 hours of sleep). I am supposed to start them up again on MOnday but after reading all these I am really hesitant.

Other than correcting my acne, it has also accelerated my metabolism and has helped me stay at a normal and even better weight than before. My boobs have gotten HUGE though and I am 26 years old. I never wanted to go on the pill because of the weight gain. It is my biggest fear.  Thank you for all the feedback and I hope that mine helps as well.

KL:

[MoMoe23]

I was on Yaz for almost 4 years and I never felt the depression any of you are talking about. Maybe you actually have depression and just want to blame it on something other than yourselves phycological state of mind. I have had depression and anxiety before but only in high school and some collage but when I graduated both I was fine again, and still on Yaz by the end. I loves Yaz but I would never continue it past age 30 because I smoke and I dont want and problems. So I quit and I am happily 3 months pregnant. Before I begin ranting just remember, Yaz is not a bad bc, I loved it!
Thanks for reading.

[M_E_P]

After reading some of these blogs I too have come to an amazing realization like many of you! I am 19 and have never had any serious health problems. I have always been active and athletic, and at a good weight for my height. I have had some awful side effects that I now see may very well be linked to Yaz Birth Control. I have been taking the pill for about a year now, and during that year I stopped for a short time before starting up again with the pill. The first time that I took it I experienced painful swelling in my hands, feet and calves, and blurry eye sight. I didn't think at the time that these could be tied in with Yaz and tried to ignore the side effects.
     I kind of got lazy after that and didn't take it for about a month. When I started again I didn't notice any problems for awhile. Of course I had the vaginal bleeding that can occur when first starting the pill (I had this both times at the beginning). I had the occasional swelling of the extremities on and off, and still didn't think much of it.
     I just got married a month ago, and during the time of planning the wedding I was super stressed out (as you would expect a bride to be) and figured the stress would leave after the wedding, but instead in kept increasing and increasing. With the increase of stress came also extreme fatigue; I became really anxious all of the time and it was impossible for me to ever relax. Every single little detail sends me over the edge... Then came the feeling of depression. During the happiest time of my life I feel miserable and depressed and for no reason at all. My self esteem has been at an all time low. I break down and cry uncontrollably at any given time. My mood has been usually negative and if my mood is good it can change quickly for no reason. I have been finding myself getting really upset with my husband over stupid little things that I normally wouldn't get upset about. I am normally a very happy person and confident with so much to be grateful for! My mood is normally very even keeled with no extremes (unless tragedy occurs), and I have become an emotional roller coaster! These feelings of depression are a miserable alternative to my usually happy state of mind.
     On top of all of that I have found myself feeling faint (I actually fainted at our wedding), and I feel over heated all of the time. My heart races, I have headaches, and swelling in my hands and fingers. When we drove back from our reception I got out of the car and my ankles and feet were visibly swollen, and very painful.
   We are both students and don't have insurance right now, so we were waiting to go to a doctor to get a check-up for myself. It finally occurred to me that maybe I was having negative side effects to Yaz. I am still going to see a doctor to know for sure, but I am 99% sure that for me these problems are a result of yaz.
    I have had good side effects from taking yaz too though. When I originally started taking yaz it was to clear up acne, and then I got engaged and decided to keep taking it for BC once I was married. We are not pregnant and I have clear skin! I am afraid though that the cons out weight the pros this time. I know that everyone reacts differently to prescriptions and medications, but if somebody relates to me while taking Yaz seriously consider stopping!!!

[dreamty]

You cannot discount everything these other women are feeling.  I'm very glad you did not have any issues with YAZ.  However, some of us really did.  It's not that we are trying to lay blame.  Yes, I suffer from depression and it was controlled very well by an anti-depressant.  I went on YAZ, and had to increase the anti-depressant...and go on cholesterol medicine!  I don't eat a lot of fried foods or red meat. I am now off YAZ and feel 100% better.  I wish everyone the best who CAN take YAZ without any ill effects, but don't make us all out to be a bunch of whiners looking for someone to blame when you don't know how we feel.

[janie70]

I am a mother of a beautiful 14 year old daughter who was always caring and considerate. Recently she has become angry depressed and basically turned into a monster.
I took her to the doctors a couple of months ago for her acne problem and the gp put her on yaz as her acne is hormonal. I was at the end of my tether and decided to just check if there were any side affects of this pill.
I would just like to thank everyone that has taken the time to write here I am truly grateful. I will be calling her doctor tomorrow and changing her pill. I really want my daughter back.
I hope you all are better and back to your normal selves now.

[Sarsquirrel]

You know, if you had/are having a good experience with Yaz, then please, by all means, share it; the purpose of these forums is to express both positive AND negative feedback so that others who are considering a medication, or are having problems that could be linked to one they are already on, can get an idea of how it has affected others.  But please don't negate the more unfortunate results others may have had.  The favorable results enjoyed by one, five, or even a thousand is NOT an indication that the negative aspects are merely in the heads of those who have suffered, nor is every individual reporting problems with Yaz simply seeking an outlet upon which to pin their problems.  If you choose to comment in a forum, please try to show the same consideration towards previous posters that you yourself wish to enjoy.

[linds03]

I have been taking yaz for 5 months now and i stopped last night. I have been getting stabbing pains in my temple and then keeping a headache for over a week. I went to the doc. and they couldnt find anything wrong with me so im linking it to the yaz. I also have bad leg cramps and will start bleeding right after i start a new pack. My breast and nipples are supper sore . I have mood swings all the time and have been feeling very sad. I feel like crying over the smallest things. I am not pregnant even though these are signs , I know it is the yaz. so be alert of these symptoms when taking yaz.

[051510]

This is to add my $.02, but is also directed at kmw441.

I started taking Yaz in November of 2007. Admittedly, I am kind of slow to piece things together so up until recently I had assumed the things I was experiencing were unrelated to my birth control. However, I happened to stumble upon this website and now A LOT of things are starting to make sense to me.

When I began taking it I will admit I got caught up in the hype about it clearing up skin and presenting shorter, lighter periods, blah blah. In fact, for I would say the better part of the last two years, it has been working fine for me save a few minor side effects:

-While it has cleared up my skin, I break out the first week of pills as well as the third, same as my skin always looked. The second week and the week of my period [well, "four days" - mine last more than that, which I will address in a sec] my skin looks AMAZING.
-I had TWO MONTHS in the entire 2+ years I've been on it where my period was light and lasted only a few days. Otherwise it had been a normal, 7-8 day run with moderate cramps [which was new since starting the Yaz - previously I had never gotten cramps].
-I have gained approximately 50lbs. since I started taking Yaz. I am sure all of those pounds are not because of the pill; I also met the "man of my dreams" and you know how you get happy and comforable in a relationship and you start eating a lot and gaining weight. However, I've noticed that on and off my hands [specifically fingers] are swollen for no reason, though this is more recent... I have gone from a ring size 5.5 in May of 2008 to a 7 now. This is NOT normal for me, as weight fluctuations [20-30lbs] in the past have only caused my ring size to go up MAYBE a half size if that. I seriously look like I've gained substantial weight in my fingers, and with my recent engagement I hate taking pictures of my ring on my hand because I used to have long lithe fingers and now they're like long fat sausages!

Now, for the recent occurances.

-Like I said, the finger swelling above is a newer development, I'd say within the last nine or ten months.

-I have also started getting this sensation in my chest. I wish I knew how to explain it better, but it feels like a swooping sensation... like my heart is skipping a beat or pausing for a split second. I was hospitalized in November for an allergic reaction to a medicine and while I was in there I had an EKG and an Echo done so I am not TOO concerned about this sensation because both of those tests came up normal and this had been happening prior to that. My Mom said she thinks it's anxiety, which it very well may be, BECAUSE...

-My anxiety has increased tenfold. I am a pretty mellow person - still mellow, even with all of these things happening - and while I am also a born worrier I never really had problems with anxiety that would interfere with my Life. Not the case anymore.

-What struck me most in reading these posts was the girl that said she is suddenly paranoid and thinking her boyfriend is going to cheat on her. This is EXACTLY what I've been experiencing for the last couple of months. My fiancé is my best friend, I've known him for ten years and he would never, ever, ever do anything to hurt me... he would cut off his own limbs before touching a hair on my head or thinking of saying/doing something that would hurt my feelings... but for the last couple of months I have been convinced and unable to shake the feeling that there is something going on between him and one of my good friends. This is ridiculous, naturally, because as far as my friend goes she's in my wedding and I don't believe she'd do anything to hurt me either. There isn't even any evidence that they are sneaking around! This paranoia just came out of nowhere and I will be damned if I can't shake it.

-I feel like the worst person alive. I am constantly annoyed with or snappy with my aforementioned fiancé, and on top of that I am LAZY. Now, I've always been lazy, so when I say this people are like "What else is new?" but I mean l-a-z-y... like if someone had to go to the ER because of extreme laziness, I'd be living in a hospital right now. I am ALWAYS tired no matter what time I go to bed. I NEVER feel like moving off the couch. My fiancé is currently doing all of the housework [seriously, he should be canonized for putting up with me] because I have no motivation to move.

-I didn't think about my sex drive until someone mentioned it, but I would have to agree that mine has decreased. This ties into being lazy - sometimes he doesn't want to do all the work in bed, and while I didn't used to mind, now I actually complain about "being on top" [seriously, worst person on Earth]. He usually cooperates but I know it frustrates him and it really isn't fair. In turn, I get depressed, further killing the mood.

-I cry ALL of the time! We laugh about it because even commercials set me off, but it's annoying! I never used to be a crier prior to this birth control! I have recently started crying about EVERYTHING wedding-related, and I do mean everything. If you think I am exaggerating, I'm sure you've seen the video on YouTube of the bridal party and bride and groom dancing up the aisle to "Forever" by Chris Brown? Yeah. Makes me cry whenever I see it. Uh, ridiculous!

-I always feel bloated. Always. I actually feel pregnant, and I have no children, and I'm NOT pregnant. My back hurts. [Again, not pregnant]. I get migraines whereas I never used to unless I ate a certain spice. Every other month or every two months or whenever it feels like it, I bleed from the time I finish my placebo's until I get to the next set of placebo's. Even if it's not a lot, it's still there and it's still annoying and makes me feel unsexy and not interested in doing anything with my fiancé. My period is WORSE THAN EVER. When I first got it when I was 11, it was horrible. No cramps, but the bleeding was insanely heavy for an 11 year old. This would rotate months, which my Doctor said is because every month it switches ovaries. Yaz had helped with the volume previously, but it gave/gives me horrid cramps, and now on top of the awful cramps I am back to bleeding the way I was when I was 11! It's insane! I even called my Doctor and they said "Take a pregnancy test" so I did and, you guessed it, nothing.

I made an appointment to see my Doctor on September 23rd and when I go I am officially stopping Yaz. I have heard some pretty okay things about OrthoTriCyclen-Lo, so I might see if she can give me that. Still, even with that I am apprehensive because the very first BCP I went on was regular OrthoTriCyclen and it made me PSYCHOTIC. Now, I am like 70% sure that was because the dosage was too high for my weight at the time [I weighed about 130lbs. and they wrote me in as 158 - yeah, I had an eating disorder at the time and I knew for a FACT I did not weigh 158lbs], but it still makes me nervous. It also made me break out with these really painful cysts on my face, which continued to happen even when they switched me to some lower-dose generic brand.

I also should mention that I am in the same boat as whomever is having GI problems. I have to run to the bathroom after everything I eat anymore [not to throw up], and my acid reflux has been out of control. I'm not saying it's because of Yaz, because AR and GI problems run in my family, but I figured it was worth mentioning.

So good to know I'm not crazy and imagining things!

[051510]

Forgot to mention that my moods change at the drop of a hat. I can leave work and be in such a great mood and then my fiancé doesn't kiss me right away or doesn't answer me the way I want to be answered and my mood takes a COMPLETE nosedive. You can add to all of these things the awful guilt I am always feeling anymore for being a complete wretch to the love of my Life. We're getting married in 8 months and I don't want to start our marriage as a monster!

[YAZ_RUINED_MY_HONEYMOON]

I STARTED THE YAZ PACK ON AUGUST 18 2009 AND SEPTEMBER 3RD WAS THE LAST TIME I WOULD EVER TAKE IT!!!! I HAVE BEN HAVING HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS SINCE I STARTED IT. OF COURSE I DIDNT KNOW THAT THE PILLS WERE CAUSING THE SYMPTOMS THAT I HAD. WHEN THE OBGYN GAVE ME THE PACK, HE TOLD ME THAT IT WILL REGULATE MY PERIODS AND THAT MY CYCLE WOULD DEFINITELY BE OVER BY MY WEDDING DATE WHICH WAS ON AUGUST 22. MY PERIODS NORMALLY LASTED 5 DAYS, AND I STARTED MY PERIOD ON AUGUST 17TH. HE ALSO TOLD ME ABOUT THE CLEAR SKIN AND WHAT NOT. ANYWAYS THE EVENING I STARTED THE PILLS.. I HAD SEVERE LEG CRAMPS IN MY CALF MUSCLES! THEY WERE THE MOST PAINFUL CRAMPS EVER! I ALSO HAD CRAMPS THE FOLLOWING DAY AND IVE HAD MILD ONES SEVERAL TIMES AFTER. ANYWAYS.. I WAS STILL ON MY PERIOD ON MY WEDDING DAY AND MY PERIOD CONTINUED THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE HONEYMOON... I ALSO EXPERIENCED SEVERE DEPRESSION.. I EVEN CRIED ON THE NIGHT OF MY WEDDING.. I WAS CONSTANTLY DEPRESSED THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE HONEYMOON. MY POOR HUSBAND THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING HE DID O WAS DOING  BUT I HAD TO KEEP REASSURING HIM THAT IT WASNT AND I DIDNT UNDERSTAND WHY I WAS SO SAD IN THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND OF PUERTO RICO..  I ALSO HAD BAD HEART PALPATATIONS, DIZZINESS, HEAD ACHES, CHEST PAIN AND DIFFICULTY BREATHING. WE COULD BARELY DO ANYTHING BECAUSE OF MY CONDITION.. I CAME BACK FROM MY HONEYMOON ON AUGUST 31ST FEELING EVEN WORST.. bUT TONIGHT IVE JUST HAD ENOUGH.. I VE BEEN UP FOR OVER 24 HRS BECAUSE I HAVE HAD DIFFICULTY BREATHING AAAAAALLLL NIGHT, BAD CHEST PAINS, LIGHT HEADEDNESS, PRESSURE ON MY CHEST, STOMACH CRAPS AND HEART PALPATATIONS. BY THE WAY, IM STILL BLEEDING!!! WASNT I SUPPOSED TO STOP B4 THE 22ND BUT NOW WE ARE IN SEPTEMBER AND IM STILL BLEEDING??!!  WHILE GOING THROUGH THIS TORTURE.. IT JUST FINALLY DAWNED ON ME THAT MAYBE I SHOULD GOOGLE SIDE EFFECTS FOR THE BC PILLS IVE BEEN TAKING AND I STUMBLED ON THIS PAGE! NOW IT ALL MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! IM NEVER TAKING YAZ AGAIN NOR ANY OTHER BC PILLS!!! I AM SO HAPPY THAT I KNOW IM NOT DYING BECAUSE IVE BEEN FEELING LIKE IM HAVING A HEART ATTACK OR A BLOOD CLOT IN MY LUNGS OR SOMETHING! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO POSTED THEIR EXPERIENCES SO I CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND MINE.

[YAZ_RUINED_MY_HONEYMOON]

BTW, IM 23 YEARS OLD

[Auzzie]

I have been on yaz for about a month and a half to kick my periods back into place and to control my polycystic ovary syndrome. I have had the Staph bug for years but being on this pill has cause alot of breakouts, not to mention the nausea, vomitting, CHRONIC stomach pain, headaches, hot and cold flushes, snappy and quick to anger. I have NEVER been like this in my entire life, and have never considered it to be the Yaz... Thanx for all the posts it was interesting to know that im not the only one... now i can prove to my doctor that it IS this damned pill!!!
From Auzzie

[Auzzie]

BTW i am only 19! I shouldnt have to put up with that ****!

[alexa2009]

I have been taking YAZ for almost two years.  I took it towards the end of 2007 and until October of 2008.  I loved it.  I have never been on any BC that didnt affect me in any way.  The 2nd week that I took it I did feel Nauses and my breast where hurting a lot, but it only lasted for a week.  I had no mood swings or depression.  I even looked it up and all I saw where good reviews on how some people have lost weight and that it is the first pill that didn't affect your hormones.  I stopped taking the pill because I broke up with my boyfriend.

I met someone new 6 months ago and I since we are getting serious I decided to start taking the Yaz again.  I feel horrible, this week is my second week taking it and I am very depressed, I am having headaches, I feel a pressure in my chest, I can't sleep at night.  I thought I was stressing about work and the bills.  But I cry for everything, though I have it all great, I feel so lonely.  I am actually crying while I write this.  I don't know why the second time around with Yaz is different.  That is why I looked it up because I am not taking anything else just that.  This pressure in my chest and anxiety is driving me crazy and depression.  My poor boyfriend is being very patient with my for now, but I can't answer his question of what is wrong with me. I am crying for no reason.

[MsA19]

I have been on Yaz every since the middle of 2007 and I love it. It has cleared up my acne, although I still breakout that week before my period. My periods are lighter...much lighter. It wasn't until yesterday when I saw one of those lawyer commercials saying how Yaz has caused heart attacks, strokes, and even death that I decided to research the side effects. I now think that commercial may have been exaggerating a bit. After reading all of the comments about how Yaz has caused these horrible side effects, my heart goes out to you all. I plan to go get a full physical soon because I haven't noticed anything different about myself since taking this pill (other than being more emotional, which up until now I thought was because of my boyfriend, and maybe some mood swings) and I'm worried about having problems that I can't see. However, if all comes back well, then my conclusion is that BC just isn't right for everyone, and to anyone thinking of getting on the pill, my experience has been positive, but this isn't true for everyone.    

[Faith2708]

I have been on Yaz for three weeks. I have always had a problem with abnormal bleeding and my Doc decided Yaz would probably regulate my periods to only have one a month. Well since I have begun taking Yaz I have not stopped bleeding....I have had a severe headache for a week. Every morning I feel sick....Im always eating and the littlest things set me off. I really had hoped that Yaz would be the answer to my problem, but I guess my Doc didnt read the "Dont take this if you have an abnormal bleeding problem" part of the informational packet......Im not taking them anymore!

[Jessica_x3]

Honestly, I'm 21 and I've been on yaz for about three years.  I've never had any sort of depression from it, mood swings, pains, nothing.  In fact, Ive had muscle and back pain for most of my life and taking yaz didnt even make it worse.  I have short, light periods.  Barely any cramping, and clear skin.  The pill didn't cause me to overeat or under eat.  The pill was prescribed to me for the sole purpose of birth control.  Not to treat PMDD or any of those sever conditions.  So I think it's unfair that people automatically crucify the drug.  Everyone is affected differently by medications and of course those who experience the worst side effects are going to outcry.  But for those thinking about taking it, there is a vast number of people that yaz works amazingly for. i'm proof of that.