Yasmin and Hair Loss: What Users Say

• Yaz...
• February 13, 2020

For Acne "I started Yasmin after suffering from mild acne. I have been on Yasmin for 6 months and my skin has mostly cleared up. First 4 months of Yasmin, my skin was SO much worse, from mild acne to cystic acne, with a breakout every few days. Now I am almost at 6 months, I stopped breaking out in cystic acne, and my skin has cleared up. I think Yasmin takes 6-9 months to see the full effect. The side effects that I noticed in the beginning - breakthrough bleeding, increased hair shedding, went away after the first few months. I feel that I stopped some of the side effects with vitamins and supplements. It is so important you supplement with certain vitamins as the pill depletes these - zinc, B vitamins, iron, vitamin E, D3, etc. I also take MSM (sulfur) which stopped my hair shedding and regrew my hair thicker. It is important to supplement as the pill depletes vitamins from your body. If you are experiencing side effects such as hair loss, etc., please look into taking the above vitamins as well as MSM!"

• Mel...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 16, 2020

For Birth Control "I was taking this pill for 2 years. During this time, my long waist-length hair started to fall out very gradually. After about a year, my thick hair had become thin and had all broken off to neck length. My doctor was adamant that this pill was not causing my problem and sent me for blood tests to see whether I had some sort of deficiency. These all came back normal. I made the decision to come off the Yasmin pill last year. My hair has only just started to grow back - this is after a year of not taking the pill. I am absolutely certain after reading other women’s reviews on here that Yasmin caused my hair to fall out. Please, please consider what you are doing when taking this pill. I took this pill like many because it is marketed as the only pill that doesn’t make you gain weight. Putting on a little weight wouldn’t have hit my mental health as hard as losing all of my hair has."

• Kat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 15, 2019

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "Yasmin (brand name only) has been a miracle drug for me. I have PCOS, and when I'm not on it, I gain weight, have severe acne on my back and chest, grow excess hair on my body, lose hair on my head, and I'm super lethargic. When I'm on Yasmin, all of these symptoms go away. I will go on it again as soon as I can!"

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 27, 2015

For Birth Control "Been on Yasmin for 5 years. Always had brain fog. Gained 50 lbs. Lost hair. Stressed. Appetite went way up. Recently decided to go off the pill. After the period, I instantly felt better. Sex drive is coming back. Just feel good. Hope it keeps up, but I'm not going back."

• Kat...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 4, 2020

For Birth Control "I regret ever taking this. Took it for 7 years. Everything was great while on it, but I lost about 40% of my hair volume (telogen effluvium) and had severe cystic acne for 6 months after it. On top of that, it messed with my humor. I felt angry and sad for months. It's now 1.5 years since I stopped it, and even though the condition has improved, I still have a long way to go. I had to cut my hair short, and I'm trying to fix the scarring from the acne."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 9, 2019

For Birth Control "I used Yasmin for 5 years after reacting awfully to a cheaper brand. I was on it from the age of 16 to 21 years and never had an issue. On the previous brand, I had awful mood swings. On Yasmin, I felt like myself again, and it cleared up my skin wonderfully. I went off birth control because I wanted to experience what my mood would be like without any medications and to experience my true cycle again. I experienced some hair loss for the first few months, but only some thinning and some pimples have returned (everybody has to deal with some at one point, right?). My hair is back to its full glory now (6 months later) as well as my normal cycle, with a bit more PMS than on the pill, but manageable. Reflecting back, my mood on Yasmin was altered slightly. I feel like it stabilized my ups and downs, which means I didn't experience my full ups. I am feeling mentally and physically healthy as well as feeling empowered to have taken control of my well-being."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 31, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been taking Yaz for 4 years. I haven't gained any weight and no acne. But my sex drive has been completely gone. I just got my blood drawn and my estrogen level is the lowest of the low. My doctor said it's from Yaz. Also, I just noticed this now, but I have lost so much hair since taking this pill."

• Liz...
• August 23, 2009

For Birth Control "Yasmin was great for the couple of years I was on it, but about a month after I quit taking it, my hair started to shed more than usual. After three months, I had about a 40% decrease in hair volume and became noticeably thin on top. This is very devastating because I am an attractive, healthy 27-year-old. This is the side effect they don't warn you of."

• Liz...
• August 23, 2009

For Birth Control "Yasmin was great for the couple of years I was on it, but about a month after I quit taking it, my hair started to shed more than usual. After three months, I had about a 40% decrease in hair volume and became noticeably thin on top. This is very devastating because I am an attractive, healthy 27-year-old. This is the side effect they don't warn you of."

• Vic...
• June 17, 2021

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I started Yasmin as I read that it helped with severe PMS and didn’t cause weight gain. In short, I thought I was dying when taking this. A list of the symptoms I was experiencing, which have gone since I stopped taking it: Extreme fatigue (big into my fitness and I couldn’t do a 10-minute walk at times), extreme emotions (crying, depression) whilst feeling numb and disconnected, joint pain, knees especially, muscle pain and shooting pains in arms and legs. DOMS would last 5 days instead of 1 day. Weight gain - over a stone, constant nausea, night sweats, anxiety and chest pains, regular heart palpitations, declining kidney function, painful, swollen feet, bleeding under the skin, bad headaches, sore eyes and blurred vision, hair loss and brittle, broken nails. Please reconsider taking this pill, I think it’s awful. Now on the copper IUD and I’ll take the very painful periods any day over how I felt on Yasmin."

• Kit...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 1, 2019

For Acne "I have PCOS, PMDD, and I'm type 2 diabetes-prone (which means I had it, but I do not anymore; but if I go back to eating badly and come off my meds, I will revert), and I'm a type O blood type. I'm 5'3" and I weigh 162 thus far. Yasmin by far is the best birth control pill I have ever been on. The generic to Yasmin I tried for several months, but it wasn't nearly as effective as Yasmin. My cystic acne stopped completely after a few weeks, as it was very noticeable how much less oily my skin became. The great thing I love about Yasmin is it covers so many of my needs; it also is an androgen blocker, so it aids with my hair issues of thinning and odd places of hair growth (a gift from PCOS). I also have noticed that as long as I take it in the same time window every day, my moods are so much better. I'm not moody and angry while on this BC pill. Oh, and least I forget, my periods are way better and so are my horrific cramps and clots."

• Sat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 23, 2021

For Birth Control "I was taking the generic version of Yasmin off and on for 3 years. I would take month-long breaks because of the side effects I was experiencing. Recently, I stopped the pill because of severe heart palpitations, the last episode lasted 20 minutes, and I considered calling an ambulance. I would have left-sided chest pain weekly. I was light-headed when standing up. I had blurry, fuzzy vision constantly. When I was not running every day, I would instantly get sore, stiff calves. My hair is super thin at the crown, when I lift the crown hair up, I can see the scalp two inches in. My mood is horrible, irritable, and depressive. I did have very dark thoughts and cried a lot. I cried even over happy things, which is not how I usually am. I will never take this pill again. I recommend everyone to do their own research about Yasmin and the lawsuits others have filed. The side effects are real and life-threatening."

• Gab...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 4, 2023

For Birth Control "I wanted to use this for both birth control and acne. And it helped both. But this is a terrible and horrible pill that caused me to become a different person. Depression every day and sadness occurred from August 2022 till the midweek of February 2023. I became an angry person and always hurt my spouse with words that I didn't really mean to say. I didn't even recognize myself anymore. Plus, it caused my hair to shed a lot. I wish I had never taken this pill. I came off not too long ago in February, and my spouse was begging me to stop taking it way before, but I never listened. After a few days, I became myself again. Happy-go-lucky, always positive, and I am so happy I stopped. It really changed my life those past few months taking it, and I regret it so much, and I never want to be that angry or depressed person ever again. So please, take caution with this pill. It will change you mentally and emotionally."

• Nic...
• January 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I moved on to Yasmin because I was looking for a pill to sort out my cystic acne. At first, my skin cleared up and my boobs got much bigger (which I loved). After a few months, though, I started to feel exhausted and nauseous most afternoons. I felt like I was pregnant, and it just didn’t let up! I also started to get horrendous period pains that resulted in black/dark red discharge for days at a time! I had multiple tests done at the doctors, but he couldn’t explain my symptoms. Then, however, the worst side effect of all kicked in... hair loss! This was extreme, every time I touched my hair, I would pull out clumps! I stopped taking Yasmin straight away, and it took about 3 months for my hair to stop falling out. I think I lost about 1/3 of my hair in total, and it was one of the scariest times of my life. For anyone who is suffering hair loss, stop taking Yasmin, and IT WILL STOP and IT WILL GROW BACK! Stay positive, it’s never as bad as you think it is."

• Gym...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 13, 2019

For Acne "It helped my acne and water retention, however, I lost a lot of hair, and I noticed that my muscles were smaller (very disappointing if you go to the gym for them). Plus, my stomach, although didn’t get bloated much due to the diuretic effect, was never as flat as it normally was. When at the gym, I noticed that my normal routine sometimes made me feel like I was going to have a heart attack, honestly, haha. I was crying all the time. Made my boobs bigger, messed with my digestive system."

• Anonymous
• July 22, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been on this birth control for about three months. Although my periods are shorter, I have had really bad side effects. It has made me very moody, I have had really bad headaches, and I have experienced major hair loss. It freaked me out, and I switched back to my prior birth control."

• Kim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 1, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ll just start by saying if I could rate this drug -10, I would. I was on this pill for 2 months, and in that time, I developed severe depression, didn’t want to leave the house, had the worst anxiety and self-worth issues. I felt so low and even had such dark thoughts. My first period after starting the pill was the worst experience of my life, the pains were excruciating. The pain woke me up in the middle of the night, and it was so bad that I was contemplating going to A&E. I couldn’t even stand up straight, and I’ll also mention that I have a high pain tolerance, and periods never usually affect me. I initially went on the pill to clear my acne, and it did clear a little, but I’m not sure if it was Yasmin or other medication that helped. Since coming off the pill, I’ve had such bad headaches and unbelievably dry eyes, which sting, cause blurry vision, and are very annoying. I also had a lot of hair loss on my temples. I was only on this for a short time, and all of this happened."

• bun...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 26, 2018

For Birth Control "I had been taking this for over a decade, since I was a teen. Never experienced any negative side effects at all. I needed it to regulate my period. No mood swings, no weight gain, no depression, the clearest skin ever. I stopped taking it six months ago. Experienced hair loss, tons of acne, both facial and body, greasy skin and hair. It's been six months and these are starting to subside, but periods are irregular again. I'm thinking of starting up just because it was nice to have clear skin and regular periods. I would highly recommend this brand to anyone."

• Anonymous
• January 5, 2021

For Birth Control "My doctor prescribed Yasmin (later Yasmin Plus) 3 years ago for severe dysmenorrhea, and for the first time in my life, I had mild and regulated periods. But a few months in, it all went downhill. Headaches, low energy levels, intense weight gain, cup size increase, hair loss, and pretty much chronic bloating and constipation. I also started losing interest in daily activities, was short-tempered, and developed severe anxiety, borderline depression. I consulted both a psychiatrist and a psychologist. I was placed on fluoxetine (antidepressants) for over a year. It's been a month since I quit Yasmin (I'm also off fluoxetine), and my mental health has improved. I have swollen legs now, and my body feels weird. Hoping to get back to normal soon. I'm yet to see my periods post the pill, and I'm working so hard to get rid of this weight."

• bc2...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2021

For Birth Control "I've been taking a generic version of Yasmin for the past 4 months (almost 5). I've had issues with breakthrough bleeding before, and Yasmin resolved that issue completely in the 2nd month. However, starting towards the end of month 2, I noticed that my hair has lost a lot of volume, and I have bald spots in areas that were once full of growth (I have naturally thick, curly hair that grows quickly). I've also heard of a lot of people losing an incredible amount of hair once going off Yasmin, but for those people, Yasmin was helpful in promoting hair growth."

• bc2...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2021

For Birth Control "I've been taking a generic version of Yasmin for the past 4 months (almost 5). I've had issues with breakthrough bleeding before, and Yasmin resolved that issue completely in the 2nd month. However, starting towards the end of month 2, I noticed that my hair has lost a lot of volume, and I have bald spots in areas that were once full of growth (I have naturally thick, curly hair that grows quickly). I've also heard of a lot of people losing an incredible amount of hair once going off Yasmin, but for those people, Yasmin was helpful in promoting hair growth."

• Sho...
• November 16, 2011

For Birth Control "Initially, I was on Yasmin for 1 year. Noticeable changes/side effects were: weight loss, hair thinning, more emotional, lighter periods. I went off it for a month (I forgot to renew my prescription), and in that month, I put on about 2 kg, was not so emotional, and my period was a little heavier. Also, the first two weeks of being off Yasmin, my body was super sensitive! Possibly both a good and bad thing? I am now back on Yasmin, and the old side effects are kicking in again. Overall, I would say it works well with my body, so I will continue to use it. Recommend it if it works with your body too, the only way to tell is to try it really."

• Kat...
• August 17, 2017

For Birth Control "BEWARE THE DEVIL PILL!! The utmost worst experience of my life on Yasmin. The first month was ok..... I continued to take it, up until the third month I started to see the side effects creeping through. My hair was falling out, and I began to get very thin lining on the top of my scalp, which is horrible!!! And looks horrible too. My anxiety was at its worst. I gained at least 10 kilos within four months of being on this pill and was recommended by my doctor to take it as it is one that most likely you wouldn't gain weight on. I guess all bodies are different. However... The 5th/6th month of being on this pill was the worst time of my life.... My depression was so high and strong, and I felt as though I could not function at all! Don't recommend it."

• paj...
• May 4, 2010

For Birth Control "I've been on Yasmin for about a year now. I was on Ortho-Tri for a few years prior to that, and Nordette (another birth control pill) a few years prior to that one. Because I've been on a pill for so long, my body didn't need much adjusting to Yasmin, nor did I notice any HUGE side effects. Although, after reading some reviews, I have noticed that I feel more sensitive emotionally now since being on Yasmin. I don't feel like I get mood swings per se where I'm mad, more like it's easier for me to cry for something I normally wouldn't have cried so easily before. Also, I've noticed more frequent migraine headaches, and my hair is thinner, but despite this, I think it's still the best one for me out there. They all have pros, cons, and risks!"

• Anonymous
• January 20, 2010

For Birth Control "I was having a horrible time on Ocella, which, contrary to what your local pharmacist will tell you, is NOT the same as Yasmin. So my doctor switched me to Yasmin, and the first month was great, no more horrible mood swings, I was almost on a euphoric high. The second month, I completely crashed. I started having hot flashes, mood swings, ovarian pain, hair loss, anxiety, and a general feeling of non-well-being. Aside from that, my period was fine, not too bad."