so scared to take yaz! Help :(

[Miss Sparkly]

I don't know if many have noticed by the tone of my posts how screwed up they've really been. I've always had serious issues with out of balance hormones and for some reason my current birth control isn't helping anymore. My anxiety, ocd, depression etc has hit a new level that I hate. The doc wants to switch me to Yaz, which he says in reality is very safe (he said that statistically you're more likely to have blood clots when pregnant than on birth control - it's just that lawyers can't sue the hubby for knocking up the wife ). I'm just scared of my mind of something terrible happening (I am significantly overweight but everything else has always come back VERY healthy). I think part of the issue is the hormonal heart palps that I developed a few years back. I was in the ER five times in the first year, convinced that I was going to die, until they finally ran full tests and scans. I'm just being paranoid right?....oh, and this paranoia could be those out of balance hormones talking right now too...

 

[Deelight]

I took Yaz before I feel pregnant - according to my doctor it is one of the best pills on the market and I found it to be fine the only thing I didn't like about it was that just before I got married it caused me to have an extra long period (spotting for approx 3 wks) so I took myself off it about 2-3wks before we got married and then we feel pregnant so I never went back on it.

I didn't have any issues with it apart from that I was happy with it and would try it again in the future .

I am overweight, my father has suffered blood clots (no genetic link it was environmental) and I have smoked on the pill and have never had an issue with clotting - the doctor was well aware of all these things and still deemed it safe for me to use - not saying it can't happen but if your worried make sure to have regular check ups and think about it some more before making a decision .

GL

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I was on Yasmin until fairly recently (long story, but right now, lets just say that Yasmin/Yaz are VERY good BCs that are VERY expensive and since my temp insurance does not cover Rx I am SOL) and have been on it for 6+ years. It's the only BC I've ever taken and I absolutely adore it. As my friend who recommended it said - "It makes your boobs bigger, lose weight and prevents you from getting pregnant - what more could you ask for?"

Yaz is the lower estrogen version of Yasmin. It means that there's a greater likelihood you might spot between periods - I considered switching to Yaz but my doctor just told me that since the reason I wanted to switch was to go longer between periods, I could just skip the placebo week with Yasmin if I wanted to. Which I have, and had no issues.

And btw, THIS is why I think I prefer to have PMs on a board - I know most of us are women on PS but I still feel weird talking about my BCs on a public board, lol.

And btw, I totally get your fears about blood clots, etc. I just started on the Nuva Ring and ended up taking it out after 12 hours. Why? Because I woke up in the middle of the night in a sweat thinking of all the horrible things I've heard about blood clots, that woman who died, complications, introducing a different hormone mix to my body when it's only been used to Yasmin...and decided that I'm just going to wait until my school program starts in June, get on the school insurance and get back on Yasmin.

 

[slg47]

sparkly I hope it works out for you! I had some bad side effects with Yaz but I think BC is mostly trial and error and you have to find what works for you. If your doc is recommending it I would definitely try it out.

 

[kelpie]

I take it to control mild PCOS and it has been a godsend. I had tried others with terrible results but with yaz I feel better than ever and I think my metabolism is a bit more responsive. Everyone reacts differently but I think it is worth trying as the level of hormones is pretty mild compared to other drugs.

 

[sba771]

I was on yaz and it helped my pmdd SO much!!!!!! I loved it and my periods were down to 3 days or less. I just went off it and have bounced back to a normal cycle relatively fast so I can't complain!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Have you had a full workup for clotting disorders? If not then I would demand one before taking ANY hormonal birth control. I developed DVT in June 2009 while taking Seasonale. It was discovered at that time and I have a clotting disorder and can no longer take any type of hormonal BC.

It can be very expensive to be extensively tested for clotting disorders (depending on insurance) but it is well worth it should you find out that you have something that could prevent you from taking hormonal BC. DVT and pulmonary embolisms are life threatening events and not to be taken lightly.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

Have you had a full workup for clotting disorders? If not then I would demand one before taking ANY hormonal birth control. I developed DVT in June 2009 while taking Seasonale. It was discovered at that time and I have a clotting disorder and can no longer take any type of hormonal BC.

It can be very expensive to be extensively tested for clotting disorders (depending on insurance) but it is well worth it should you find out that you have something that could prevent you from taking hormonal BC. DVT and pulmonary embolisms are life threatening events and not to be taken lightly.

I have not. After reading about how Yaz works and that it basically renders your body's electrolyte balancers to be nonfunctional I've decided that it's too dangerous. It could just be that my problem is not me, it's switching BC methods too much and that's causing the instability. Crossing my fingers that's what it is!

 

[shihtzulover]

I'm at my wit's end with birth control right now, and Yaz is actually one that I'm considering. I mostly just take it for pregnancy prevention, but I have issues with anxiety, OCD, and depression - I'm not sure whether or not my birth control affects that.

I have tried at least five different pills over the past 6.5 years that I've been on birth control pills, and I can't even remember all of their names. I really prefer the low hormone ones, because I'm petite, and I feel like more hormones would just be too much.

It seems like the monophasic pills totally kill my sex drive. I just got on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (the only triphasic one that I've ever tried), and I'm breaking out so badly that it makes me want to just quit in the middle of the pack.

I am very petite, but I gained almost 10 lbs during the first year of my first ever birth control pill. It was a lot for my small frame, but at the time, I blamed it on being a freshman in college. After all, the 'freshman 15' is apparently so common, but before that, I had been the same weight for years. Since then, I have gained about five more lbs. I really do feel like it's a lot for my small frame. My sex drive has also not been nearly the same as it was before I got on the Pill, although some of them are worse than others.

The only positive effect so far is that my breasts have grown, and I would be disappointed if I stopped taking the pills and they shrunk. Honestly though, I would probably just stop taking them if I wasn't such a worrier - I would constantly freak out if we were to just rely on condoms alone.

So, I have been considering Yaz, but I have some of the same fears as you. I've also heard some very mixed reviews about it, and a lot of women say that it kills their sex drive, which seems likely for me.

Ugh - I wish that this could be easier!

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I agree. I have all those issues too which are pms related. I'm going to start on b6, calcium and coconut water. That should help a lot. I will report back on the results!

 

[redfaerythinker]

I used Yaz for about a year and ended up losing weight on it because it basically caused my gallbladder to shut down. I was sick as a dog until we figured out what it was and luckily the symptoms went away after I stopped taking it. However I think that I was definitely the exception, not the norm, as far as side effects go. HTH

 

[elrohwen]

I've been on Yaz for 4-5 years and haven't had an issue with it.

I have heard that it can cause migraines - I've been getting migraines for years before taking Yaz, so I don't think that's my problem, though I didn't really get the daily headaches as much back then.

I think BC is a really personal thing - what works for some people doesn't work for others. In general though, I haven't heard of Yaz being any more or less dangerous than the other major brands.