Comments on: Yasmin Birth Control Warning: Risk of Heart, Stroke

By: Bright Moments

Bright Moments — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 07:07:47 +0000

Any drugs that you take, whether prescription or not, will affect people in different ways. If you are concerned about your health, use a condom.

I have taken Yasmin on and off for 5 years, with no problems. I did, however, take other birth control pills and I experienced depression, weight gain, acne etc.

Make of that, what you will.

By: E. Sizemore

E. Sizemore — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:08:16 +0000

FYI, the Yaz Injury Legal Center is providing free case reviews as they gather enough victims for a major lawsuit. Their contact form is here.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:49:56 +0000

I have been taking yaz and yasmin since grade 10 and am currently in my first year of university. It is a wonderful birth control pill- doesn’t make me gain weight, no acne- except the very severe chest pains that have been occuring a year after i started taking it. The chest pain is on my right side, and feels like i am being stabed. This pain lasts for 30 seconds, but it is enough to make me drop to the ground in pain, and it usually comes in 3 to 4 intervals. I have been in the hospital 3 times because of it. First time was when i was driving, and i went into emerge and the doctor said i must have an inflamed muscle between my ribs. I was still experiencing this stabbing feeling at random times so i went to my doctor. my doctor has sent me to get 3 ECG’s done, all coming back negative, so she sent me to the hospital to get an ultasound done on my heart and the valves around it, that came back negative as well. I went back to my doctor and she sent me to the hospital for an x-ray, and that came back negative as well. Nothing could explain what was happening- until i saw a special on tv, where a girl was describing the EXACT SAME experiences as what i was having. Turns out she was taking yaz, and her doctor got down to the bottom of it, and yes, it was yaz that was causing these pains. Unfortunately, my doctor has done nothing about it, and she does not feel the need for me to switch birth contol pills, “because all of the other ones are mostly the same”. Needless to say, i am still taking yasmin currently and experiencing the stabbing pains.

By: Chrissy

Chrissy — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:26:02 +0000

I’ve been on Yasmin for 3 yrs since I turned 38 and loved it. Never had any side effects from it ever. Easy to take, my weight stayed where it should and I was able to cycle myself to every 6 wks. I decided to try Mirena so I wouldnt have to remember to take a pill every day and miss Yasmin. Mirena is an evil device that hurts like crazy going in and continues to torure you while you keep it in. I just had it removed and have had the worst period of my life for a week now. Cannot wait to start up on Yasmin again.

By: Cristian

Cristian — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:37:37 +0000

My wife was on another birth control pill for 20 years and was convinced to switch to Yazmin because it was “lower dose” (safer!).

After 6 months on Yazmin she started getting sever heart palpitations for approximately 2 hours per night. Then she had two “fainting” spells. Finally, after one year on the pill she had a sudden cardiac arrest. Because there was a 6 month gap between starting the pill and her symptoms we never made a possible connection between the pill and the symptoms.

The doctors were concerned that she would have another arrest, so they convinced her to have an operation to insert a Implanted Cardiac Defibrillator. Coincidentally she stopped taking Yazmin when she was recovering from the surgery. Within weeks her palpitations went away and she has returned to completely normal health, despite the fact that she was not on any anti-arrhythmia drugs. In fact, aside from birth control my wife has not been on any drugs.

No doctor can definitely say that Yazmin caused the problem without putting her back on the drug. But every doctor has told us she should NOT take the drug again. We’re living a nightmare!

I am as confident as any reasonable person can be that Yazmin caused her Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Stopping the drug stopped her symptoms and she’s been symptom free for almost a year and a half.

While it is correct to assume that all birth control pills can have side effects, it is clear that Yazmin is particularly dangerous. Recent studies have shown it is 2 to 3 times more prone to complications than pills that do not contain Drospirenone.

Candidly I think it was very dishonest of Bayer to promote this pill as “low dose”, when in fact it has a significant dose of a hormone not contained in any other pill.

If you take this pill and you start to get palpitations I strongly suggest you stop. Better still, I suggest you take any one of a number of pills that have been on the market longer than Yazmin and have much better track records.

By: Eve

Eve — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 02:21:34 +0000

I am 50 and was on Yaz. My Dr, thought it would disguise menapause symptoms and be a safe choice for me. Well I have always been healthy, eat right and exercise regularly. I developed a blood clot in my leg that ran from my knee to my groin, it then traveled to three lobes of my lungs. That was three months ago and I still can’t breath right and still on blood thinners. I can’ believe I almost died from birth control.

By: Tonia

Tonia — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 02:48:41 +0000

Took Yaz for aprox. 8 mo., was in good health, never had any health issues, non smoker. Loved this RX until 2/2009 Had crazy chest paid and arm pain, went to ER where they said I was lucky to be alive. Multiple PE in both lungs due to birth control; Yaz. Thankfully I am alive as I have read many stories that ladies have lost their lives due to Yaz!!! Not worth it!!!! I read that aprox. 190 have died so far from Yaz! HORRIBLE!!!!

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:54:18 +0000

My daughter was on it for a few months, never missed a pill; she’s now 19 weeks pregnant. She didn’t have any of the dreadful side effects mentioned above, but I will say this – it’s not a reliable birth control.

By: Kay

Kay — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:27:40 +0000

I’ve been on Yas for about three years now, age 17-20. I’ve had no adverse side effects. It’s kept me more regular than other pills have and has been better for my acne (though new skin care products may be responsible for that). Then again, I’m also a non-smoker, a runner, and I make an effort to eat right.

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:17:47 +0000

I was on Yasmine for 3 years before my doctor changed my precription because of all of the new scares without my knowing. I loved Yasmine. I had no negative side efffects. My skin looked the best it ever has. I didn’t have mood swings or problems with PMS and my period was like clock work. I have tried two others forms of BC in the last 6 months and they break my skin out severely. Since being on the newest type I’ve gained 7 lbs in the last 3 months and have not changed my diet or exercise program. I will be letting my doctor know I want Yasmin back! I think everyone is different, as evryone keeps saying. I’m 28 years old, non-smoker I’ve been on many different types of BC and Yasmin is by far the best for me. Even after reading others stories, it works for me so I’m confident getting back on Yasmin.

By: Alisha Peterson

Alisha Peterson — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:19:41 +0000

I started taking Yasmin only a month ago to help with my ache, I told my doc to not put me on a birth control that would not make me gain weight… so she proceeded to tell me to take Yasimn she said it has a chemical in it that helps you to not retain water weight. That may have been true , but literally by the 3rd day of taking this pill I started feeling constant nausea, headaches/migraines, extreme loss of sex drive, lack of energy, extreme anxiety and depression to the point where I was having a difficult time taking care of my children properly, I basically was so depressed and stressed I didn’t have the energy to get off the couch. And my poor children noticed a change in me and became worried. They were not used to seeing me cry all the time for no reason, and not have any energy to even read them a book or play with them. I hated who this pill was making me… I kept taking Yasmin for a few weeks thinking my body just needed to get adjusted to the pill…. and after 4 weeks of taking it the side effects kept getting worse and now I AM DONE!!! Now I was fully aware that most of these symptoms are side-effects of almost every single type of birth control, the difference is I have been on other types of birth control and never had any of these issues. Everyone who knew me knew something was wrong with me. I am usually always energetic, and up-beat, motivated, I never get sick, I have never suffered from any form of anxiety issues or depression EVER! My husband is a paramedic he clearly noticed a disturbing change in me and started re-searching Yasmin, he found that almost 75% of women taking Yasmin have had extensive awful side-effects. Bayer the maker of Yaz & Yasmin have a-ton of lawsuits in order, from women suffering from possible life threatening internal injuries and some young women have actually died from taking them. I can’t believe that this product is still on the market. I know not every person taking these pills will experience any of these side-effects if any at all. But when 75% women taking it are having disturbing side-effects… that’s a pretty damn good sign that something is very wrong with these pills, and something need to be done.

By: tady

tady — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 08:01:38 +0000

I have been on yasmin since 2004 and I and happy to say I have NEVER had any problems with it.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:48:35 +0000

I was taking Yasmin for about a year and a half (2006-2008), and in that year and a half I was in the hospital once a month for kidney infections. It did not even cross my mind that it could be because of the birth control until I went off of it and the kidney infections almost completely stopped. I was also insanely depressed but again did not relate it to my birth control until I went off of it. I lost two jobs in that year and a half due to all of my hospital emergency visits because of the pain in my kidneys…I wish I had never taken this birth control!!!!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:17:23 +0000

Stacey,
don’t worry that there is something wrong with your heart, i’m sure there is not. I believe it is because of the diuretic in Yasmin. If you are dehydrated your blood pressure goes low, then that makes your heart beat faster. That is what has happened to me. I think we have to drink a lot more water than usual, or change to another pill. Dehydration makes it more likely for you to get utis too, since fluids flush out the system.thus sweeping away any bacteria.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:39:26 +0000

I have been on Yasmin for 6 1/2 months. I almost always have a 6-8 level (out of 10) headache daily. Everytime I go to the doctor I am told that I am very dehydrated, yes I dont drink as much water as I should but I shouldn’t be as dehydrated as I am. Come to find out that Yasmin basically takes away the water in your body. I have had multiple uti’s which could be related to the water problem. I have daily heart burn.. no matter what I eat– Cheerios, a salad without cucumbers, anything! I am not wondering if this isn’t heart burn and something in yasmin working against my heart.. I have never had heartburn growing up in my life.. and for it to randomly start now would be strange. It sometimes feels like my heart rate speeds up and I find myself basically clutching my left boob trying to figure out why I have pains in my heart.
Is anyone else having problems like these?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:26:41 +0000

I went on Yasmin last year, since with mercilon i was having breakthrough bleeding.
It did cure that, which i was very pleased about.
Trouble is, i’ve had lots of other problems that i didn’t realise might be caused by this pill. I have been incredibly depressed, not enjoying life like i used to. I have been very paranoid too, which has spoilt my friendships ( with people i have known for years, and had no previous problems with).
I get very tender breasts for 2 weeks of the month, and they have increased in size. The strange thing is that i am steadily losing weight, i haven’t weighed what i do now since i was a teenager. My body looks great, but my face seems to have sagged. ( also, my bum seems to have disappeared).
My blood pressure has gone really low, ( 97/58) i only just found out Yasmin has a diuretic ingredient in, which i obviously didn’t need. I also have tachycardia most of the time. The weirdest thing is that i have read that yasmin is potassium-sparing. How come my potassium is borderline low?????? I also have virtually no period these days.
I think i need to change pills, but have no idea what to choose.

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:58:47 +0000

I have been on Yasmin for about a year and a half and no problems yet (knock on wood). I was prescribed it to lessen the constant abdominal pain I was experiencing and it worked. I have one day a month of cramps but nothing else and a normal cycle. Obviously medication effects everyone in a different way and I used to have chest pain as well before I went on Yasmin but now I don’t seem to have any.

By: Breah

Breah — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:04:27 +0000

I’m 16 years old, and I’ve been on Yasmin (not Yaz, or Yazmin) for a year. I started this pill because I have horrible menstrual cycles, I puke, my cramps have me bed ridden for days at a time, I can’t eat, I can’t walk, it goes on and on. The doctors said I could possibly have endometriosis, so I got on the pill to make my periods more tolerable.

I really like them. I gained about 5-8lbs, but I weighed like 100lbs anyway. My breasts went up two cup sizes, and my acne got better. I like this pill a lot, but it works differently for different people.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:12:53 +0000

Or the generic Ocella. It seems like a lot of women seemed to worsen when they switched over to the generic.
*chest pains
*rapid heartrate/chest pain
*discoloration of the skin
*extreme mood swings
*cysts
*joint/muscle pain
*depression/ anxitey
*insomnia.
Ive had all of these symptims over the past ten years on Yasmin/Ocella.
Like I said before, I specifically asked SEVERAL doctors, from my OB/GYN, my cardiologist, my family practitioner, and now my breast specalist (because of all the cysts), told me NOT to stop taking the bc pills, they are ok. But what the hell. A 23 year old with no other health problems cant just have all these sympotms appear! Like another woman wrote…IT IS NOT WORTH IT!!! Id rather have a few days of horrible cramping and pain then loose my life, nothing is worth that.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:43:37 +0000

wow…i cant believe reading all these comments. I feel so stupid!
I have been on yasmin (now ocella the generic) for almost ten years, since I was 13 and my periods were so bad I couldn’t even get out of bed!.
Im 23, Im healthy, I DO NOT SMOKE, and my health for some reason is totally deterriorating!!!! Ive had to go to the cardiologist because my resting heartrate its 100, and after working out it goes up to 230 B.P.M. within 60 seconds!!!! My heart however (they say) is fine. After the heart catheter they said to go to a pulmonologist because they cannot figure out whats wrong with my heart.
I now, incredibly, have cysts surrounding my breasts and in my ovaries. Since I am so young and do not smoke, they did not consider it to be from the Yasmin, and advised me SEVERAL times not to stop taking it, but Im am not taking it anymore!!!!!
I have discoloration under my armpits as well…the doctors do not know what is wrong with me, and I am a medical assistant, going to college for my RN. If ANYONE has had these symptoms too, without smoking…please tell me! Ive felt like a hypochondriac for years now…its the YASMIN!!!!!