As you may recall from a while back, I have been having trouble with steady weight gain (22lbs in two years to be exact) despite not changing my diet. In fact, I eat much healthier and work out more. Unfortunately, my weight continues to rise. I have fought with doctors about that symptom, among others, and have received little to no response. They finally ran some tests and for the most part, my thyroid is "normal" with a slight "abnormality" to my cortisol levels. They are running more tests but "don't expect my endocrine system to be the problem."
Well, what the hell is the problem? That, I don't know. But I began doing some research on the only foreign substance I put in my body...my Birth Control.
I take Yasmin and have for the previous 4 years. I was not on any bc before I got married.
Now that I've been researching this drug, I'm almost convinced it might be my issue. Online forums and medication review sites have listed a number of what I assumed were thyroid symptoms as side effects of Yasmin:
weight gain, loss of sex drive, mood swings, depression, hair thinning, shortness of breath, cramps in legs, anxiety, ginormous boobs, etc...
People who have taken this drug describe themselves as being "off" like they just weren't themselves and that's EXACTLY how I have felt for almost 2 years! I just attributed it to moving (again), inability to find a job in new city, husband traveling a lot, and everyday stress.
But something is most certainly NOT right. I am not the person my husband married, the girl my friends know and love, the happy go lucky sister/daughter my family loves.
Im thinking of stopping the pill and letting my body get back to its natural state for a while but the sites also say getting off this pill will make me have terrible acne (though I never had acne growing up), it will make me bloated, etc.. I thought if you were going to have side effects from a bc pill, it would occur immediately, not 1.5-2 years into it.
Have any of y'all taken Yasmin? Suffered these side effects? Gotten off it?
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I seriously feel your pain - I never took Yaz as I went off the pill right around the time it was getting popular... but my reasons for stopping the pill were the same. I didn't start taking birth control until I was 21, I gained 40 pounds in the first 2 years I was on BC - no change in diet or exercise. I took myself off of it, and I finally stopped gaining weight. I'm still having a hard time losing the weight... I've only lost about 15lbs of it, but I am 100% convinced that was the issue. My doctors found nothing wrong w/ my thyroid, and they couldn't figure out what else might be going on. I've never had any side effects from going off the pill, but obviously everyone is different and I wasn't on Yaz.
ReplyDeleteGood luck figuring out what is going on with your body - I know how stressful and frustrating it can be!!
I took Yasmin for about 3 cycles while I was in college. It. was. terrible!! My dad thought it would be a good match for me (he is an OBGYN), but I gained 10lbs in those 90 days and was an emotional wreck. I was seriously depressed and had a level on anxiety that made living almost unbearable.
ReplyDeleteI stopped after those 3 cycles and went on Ortho-TriCyclen again until switching to the NuvaRing about 6 months after that. I took that consistently for 5 years and felt great.
That said, I'm off of BC now and I feel great. I struggle with the acne part, too. I get it bad on my back with small breakouts on my face.
I hope this helps with your decision!
i just went off the pill along with all my other medication- about 3 months ago. prepare to have some side effects while your body is detoxing- im sure you read abt all the possible symptoms online. as sucky as it is be sure to remember some things have to get worse before they get better. i wish you best in this process- its super frustrating. if you need any support please feel free to call me... xo
ReplyDeleteps. check back on the info i wrote you about your TSH- just bc your dr believes its 'normal' doesnt mean its the true. also, a lot of patients dont have the hypo numbers but do have the symptoms-- some drs will go ahead and treat and there is improvement. dont rest with one drs diagnosis-- keep searching....
OMG. I took Yasmin for about a year, right after Mr. Top Gun and I got married. I had never been able to take any other birth control pills, since they all made me so darn sick! I was happy when I started Yasmin, because I didn't get sick, and I felt pretty good overall. Well... after about six months I began noticing a slight weight gain, which turned into a GAIN of like 15 lbs... NOT NORMAL FOR ME! I have always had a crazy metabolism and gaining like that never happened before. I also became depressed. Started crying all the time, feeling sad at everything, taking Mr. Top Guns head off for no reason.
ReplyDeleteI felt like crap! Sick all the time, NO SEX DRIVE AT ALL!! So, I decided to throw those evil pills away while Mr. was gone for a TDY, and within a week... I was feeling NORMAL again! I lost the weight, my mood changed, my appetite came back and I became normal me again. I haven't touched BC pills since then. Everyone else who I know that has taken this pill experienced the same symptoms as we did. Get off of those things!
I'm not on Yasmin, but I am on Yaz. They aren't exactly the same, but are very close. I only took BC one other time for an ovarian cyst and I don't remember what BC it was. But, I went on Yaz right before I married Scott and have been on it for 2.5 years or so. In those 2.5 years I have had horrible anxiety that I never had before. And I get muscle cramps all over my body for no reason. If I stand up wrong, my leg/butt area will cramp so bad I have to sit back down. Even my tongue cramps up sometimes when I'm trying to get food out of my teeth. It's miserable. I've also started having horrible stomach problems in the last couple of years... lots of nausea and what not.
ReplyDeleteI had a ton of blood work done back in March or April and the Dr. said all of my levels looked perfect. I have to be especially careful of my thyroid because my dad had an overactive one. I haven't gained weight... I actually lost a bunch. But, I went on Yaz just a couple of months before Scott deployed. So, I was/am having a hard time figuring out whether these symptoms (minus all the cramps) were Yaz related or deployment related.
I used to have the worst periods due to my endometriosis and pmdd, so I don't really want to get off Yaz because it has really helped with all of those symptoms. I've been back and forth on what to do for about a year now. Ugh, I hate BC. Wish I could just have kids and then get everything removed (kidding... kind of!) :)
I've been taking birth control since I was about 11 so i've taken almost everything under the sun and I'll just say, my experience with any pill was not a good one. Weight gain, mood swings, depression, etc... I prefer no birth control at all honestly. I hate them all. However, I did have the most luck with the Nuvaring. Its definitely been my favorite so far.
ReplyDeleteAwww...Feel better, C!
ReplyDeleteI had no side effects from Yasmin, and actually loved it how it eliminated my cramps (I have HORRIBLE cramps when not on the pill). But I'm taking one of those one-period-every-three-months pill, and that has KILLED my sex drive. It kind of defeats the purpose, no?
ReplyDeleteI took Yasmin for 3 years and I had no issues. The stuff online always freaks me out, but I never had a problem with it.
ReplyDeletei was on yaz for about a year and had most of those symptoms...it was awful! about a year ago i stopped taking yaz (or any other kind of bc pill) and let my body get back to normal. it's amazing, i feel NORMAL again!
ReplyDeleteI take ortho tricyclen lo. I've taken it for 7 years now. Took a brief break from it a few months ago and had such bad anxiety that I had to go back on it again (can we say hormone imbalance) ...I've never experienced any weight gain with this pill.
ReplyDeleteGirl I've tried everything under the sun and they all made me bloated, depressed, gain weight, etc. THAT WAS...until last year when I got a IUD and I love it! It has no hormones in it so my body isn't getting messed with. You should look into it!
ReplyDeleteI haven't taken that specific BC but I had similar issues with one that I was taking. I went off of them all together for awhile and it really helped.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you need to shop around for BC. I tried 3 different brands (and yes, was a crazy hormonal wreck) before I found the right one. I lost the weight I gained on the other ones, my skin cleared, and I don't cry about dumb stuff anymore. My doctor told me everyone's chemistry reacts differently to things. Maybe you just need to find the brand that's right for you. It sounds like Yasmin is NOT it.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking Yasmin since June (2 cycles until now) and well, it has some side effects!
ReplyDeletePositive effects: My skin looks better!
Negative effects: Anxiety, changing mood, some spotting, no sex drive.
My boyfriend says Yasmin changed me a lot, he can't stand my changing mood!
I have been on other BC before, but I will give a try to Yasmin (3 months) before I decide if I continue to take it...!
I was not on Yasmin, but other oral BC. Was warned of all sorts of nasty side effects, by my OB GYN, when I wanted to stop, she tried really hard to talk me into continuing, despite the unpleasant side effects I was having. I chose to stop anyway ... and never for a moment regretted my decision. I had NONE of the side effects she warned me about ... and I have been on oral BC for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you.
I was on Yasmin and felt similarly. Anxiety, moodiness, no sex drive whatsoever. I was a completely different person :( I switched off of it after a year. It cleared up my skin but I was feeling horrible about myself. I switched to NuvaRing and haven't looked back. If I were you, I would re-consider your BC options.
ReplyDeleteOMG i just took myself off Yaz because i have NO sex drive, it totally dried me out (everywhere!!!!!), and the anxiety i felt was insane, i am glad to know im not alone i really thought i was! i am taking zovia (its a generic but i forget what for) and its the lesser of 2 evils.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can figure this all out. I am curious about the cortisol levels because I have LOW cortisol and low thyroid but most doc on the general thyroid test would consider it normal. I am on thryoid meds and cortisol and the doc just put me on Loesterin. So far so good.
ReplyDeleteBirth control pills will reek havoc on your body. Your hormones control just about everything and when you start loading your body up with synthetic ones, it's going to react.
ReplyDeleteGet off birth control pills! Try something else for birth control and give your body a break. I bet you that the weight will come right off if you do.