Yaz and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Lan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 15, 2020

For Birth Control "I live in Korea, and had to switch from my Ortho Tri-Cyclen in the US to Yaz here in Korea. I went to a doctor to talk about it, and she suggested Yaz as it was fairly close to what I had been taking in the States. I got it for 6 months, and now that I'm nearing the end, I am thinking more seriously about finding something else. The biggest side effect for me is the decrease in my libido. I went from desiring intimacy with my fiancé almost every day to never, within a month of starting Yaz. It was an extreme loss of sexual desire that I am 100% sure was due to Yaz. I also gained a few pounds and have not been able to lose it. I did start to notice more extreme mood shifts towards the end of each cycle as well. Feeling depressed, fatigue, and anxiety every 4 weeks is tough on me. I am nervous about switching to something else because I have only ever taken Ortho Tri-Cyclen pills, but Yaz is just not for me in the long run."

• Fra...
• May 11, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been using Yaz for almost two months, and I won't be continuing with this pill. Almost immediately after I changed from Qlaira to Yaz, I noticed my anxiety levels rising. I'm not one to constantly worry and have always had this joy for life, but not since taking Yaz. I don't even feel like waking up and doing what I love. My sex drive is very, very, very low, and I'm very dry down there. I'm very moody and fight with my fiancé on a daily basis. My breasts have gone up an entire cup size, and they are really tender. I have severe abdominal pains and nausea. I cannot wait to start a different pill."

• Loa...
• April 21, 2019

For Birth Control "Started Yaz about 6 months ago for endometriosis pain control. Right away, I became emotional, anxious, and depressed with super dark thoughts. My doctor told me that it takes about 3 months to level out your hormones. Two weeks ago, I started having side effects that I didn't even realize were because of the birth control until I started reading other reviews. I'm 29 years old, work out 5 days a week, skinny, etc. I've become constipated, bloated, gaining weight, hungry all the time, extremely exhausted, mood swings, angry at everyone and everything, depressed, anxious, obsessive bad thoughts, hot flashes and sweating, breakthrough bleeding, etc. I have my period every 3 months on this, but my first period after the 3 months is the heaviest period I've ever had in my life. Not to be graphic, but it was flowing out of me like an endless waterfall. Soaked through super tampons in 15-20 minutes. I'm miserable and would rather risk my endometriosis pain coming back than dealing with this. Not taking another day of this pill."

• she...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 7, 2019

For Birth Control "I started this birth control right when I started becoming sexually active at 16. Now, I'm almost 20 and just got off of it a couple of months ago. I didn't know how much this negatively affected my body until now. I had intense migraines 3-4 days out of the month that the pill caused. I developed depression and anxiety, and had got prescribed 2 different meds, but they didn't work because they gave me anxiety attacks. I had dry vaginal issues. All of this changed when I stopped this pill. It had super high estrogen, way too much for me. Some positives are how amazing it made my skin look, and it cutting my hunger in half (didn't gain weight on this one). I didn't have much cramping, but I did have back pain. It took me almost 4 years to realize, but I’d rather just use condoms than alter my body like this again."

• Bia...
• December 28, 2016

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I was prescribed this pill to treat PMS, however, taking this medication was the worst experience of my life. It alleviated anxiety, but it made me severely depressed and paranoid. I am a fairly active person, and I would go running every day. As soon as I began to take the pill, I lost motivation to do the things I enjoyed, and it got to the point where I did not even want to leave the house. I also almost lost my job over it. I tried to quit three times in one week, and luckily my employer would not let me end my career and encouraged me to stay. Taking this medication also damaged my relationships with my friends and my partner and almost cost me my relationship. Please do not take this medication."

• Meg...
• January 15, 2019

For Birth Control "I started Yaz about 7 months ago because I had found out that I had developed ovarian cysts. I had been on Yaz for two years as a teenager and had side effects, but I didn’t notice them as much as this time. Over the time I had taken Yaz, I had developed low mood, temperament, and a bad attitude towards everything. The change was so slow that it wasn’t obvious that it wasn’t me and not the pill. On my last month, I took this pill, I had just started a new job and had to quit after one day because of extreme nausea and anxiety I was experiencing. Other side effects I experienced on Yaz were depression, suicidal thoughts, withdrawn, violent (kicking in a wall), angry, argumentative, irritable, extreme nausea, dizziness, hypoglycemia (if I don’t eat every 3 hours I would get nauseous), and no motivation to do anything, random pain in the legs, jealous of others, tired all the time, foggy head, crying all the time, and distrust of people. Please be aware."

• Rac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 5, 2018

For Birth Control "My daughter was prescribed Yaz to help regulate her cycles. She is prone to having anxiety attacks. The pills exacerbated these attacks. She has crying fits for no reason. I'll ask her why she is upset, and she'll reply that she doesn't know why she is crying. She said she feels crazy. All these symptoms started within 2 weeks of taking Yaz. I was told she had to give it time for her body to adjust. She is into her 2nd month with no improvement. I placed a call to her doctor to switch her to something else. Parents who have teen girls taking these pills, please be wary of the side effects."

• Anonymous
• May 14, 2008

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "Taking Yaz was great. However, I did not know this until I stopped taking it only a month after being on it. My doctor recommended Yaz to help regulate my periods and premenstrual tension syndrome (PMS). It worked with the PMS, but my periods continued to be very light for an entire week and heavy for several days following. This is the reason I stopped taking them. Now I wonder if I made a mistake. The irritability and stress are back, I'm tired, eating uncontrollably, and overall I don't feel well."

• Gre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 13, 2021

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I've had a very positive experience with Yaz (Eloine in the UK), which has completely cleared up my previously debilitating PMDD. All of my symptoms have gone: the fatigue, nausea, difficulty concentrating, depression, anxiety, foggy-headedness, bloating, water retention, cravings, muscle aches, and insomnia. I've been taking it continuously for four months, and although for the first few weeks I noticed some of the side effects mentioned on the leaflet, such as tearfulness and breast swelling (also, I was hornier than usual!), these went and left me feeling really good. I don't notice a single side effect now, and I have more consistent energy and happiness. Also, no weight gain to speak of: I just had some fluctuations in water retention during the first month, and my shape has slightly changed (a little less fat on my stomach/more on my hips), but it's not extreme, and I feel good. I definitely recommend trying Yaz for PMDD, and I hope your experience is as good as mine!"

• Ano...
• December 10, 2019

For Birth Control "Went on Yaz twice for short term to skip period for travel. However, both times had side effects of headaches and difficulty breathing every day, severe anxiety (social anxiety + became paranoid of blood clots), extreme exhaustion (to the point where I had to sit down every few steps) and low motivation. Consulted doctor while overseas and he mentioned my pulse was very slow. We shook it off as me being inactive on holidays, but after some research I found that Yaz increases blood potassium, decreasing heart rate which increases chances of clots forming. Also had frequent urination and extended bleeding after period. Did not get nauseous per se but did feel that type of indigestion burning feeling in chest few hours after taking pill. The first time before I took Yaz, I was selectively reading the positive reviews but after this second round, I can't deny the side effects of Yaz and the possible dangers. I will be stopping Yaz tomorrow."

• Har...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 26, 2019

For Birth Control "While Yaz did increase my sex drive and increase my vaginal dryness, it made me extremely anxious and lose interest in things I once used to enjoy. Minor issues I would usually have no sweat about, Yaz would amplify my emotions tenfold. Will not use again."

• Gwe...
• September 30, 2019

For Birth Control "I do not recommend this pill. I was doing okay in life (regular period, no menstrual cramps, manageable mood swings, etc.), except I have acne, so I took this pill, replacing another pill that I thought was worse. It did not clear up my acne, but worse of all, in three weeks of taking this, I became from a super positive person to a crazy, angry all the time and so negative, and gets irritated by anything every 10 minutes, like literally every day. I had bouts of sudden depression, not just the ordinary sad/blues kind of thing, like literally crying for no reason in the middle of the night. It took me 3 weeks to figure out what has been causing me, and yes, it's the pill! When I decided to stop, I felt better. After stopping the pills, the anxiety and depression stopped. Try to read all the negative reviews on how this pill messed up their head and eventually their life."

• Sto...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 1, 2021

For Birth Control "I started taking this pill when I was 14 to help regulate my periods and to be prepared when becoming sexually active. Fast forward to now, I’m 24, and have quit taking it altogether due to severe depression and anxiety. Reflecting back, I didn’t have any depression or anxiety symptoms prior to starting this medication. I read recently (within the past few years) that this birth control in particular can make depression and anxiety worse or start it up - so I quit taking it for a while as a trial run and felt TREMENDOUSLY better. I was happy again and didn’t have mood swings like I’ve had for years (I’m also on antidepressants and anxiolytics if that tells you anything). After a few months, I restarted it, and the same depressive and anxious episodes returned. I’m not sure if every birth control does this, but I do not recommend this one for the sole fact of maintaining mental sanity (depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts)."

• Rik...
• March 8, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm 26 years old and have been using Yaz as a contraceptive for 1 year now (2016-2017). I had been taking it previously from 2013-2014 (prescribed to me 1st for menstrual cramps and oily/hormonal breakout skin). I was completely off Yaz in 2015 after noticing extreme side effects and am sharing this to let women know they're not alone in this whirlwind of emotion this pill brings along. I must say that it indeed cleared my skin and turned my menstrual flow into hardly anything and for 2 days only. Cramps still come... It started off with a noticeable shift in controlling anger/getting irritated really quickly. Then emotions heightening, most turning into major emotional breakdowns and then severe anxiety."

• Rav...
• December 6, 2019

For Birth Control "I started using Yaz, as I thought I was doing the right thing by my body, was actually 'happy' and was on it for many years. I had health issues on the side, which I worked to diagnose for many years. Oddly, doctors never made the correlation. I did stop taking Yaz so I could conceive, and within 3 months, all of my mystery medical issues disappeared. It was only then I made the correlation. It is from this experience I believe that over time, I developed IBS and malabsorption issues. This led to health issues such as anxiety, low iron, and low energy. These issues bring on a host of other issues as they have a follow-on effect. It is for this reason I would highly caution against Yaz."

• Lay...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 10, 2017

For Birth Control "I hated being on Yaz. It caused me to gain a lot of weight, so much so and so quickly it actually scared me. I was incredibly depressed and sad all the time, finding myself crying nearly every day, whereas I am normally a person who almost never cries or gets overly emotional. I had difficulty breathing and felt like my chest was weighed down. Anxiety and panic attacks became my daily norm. Another strange thing was it gave me little red bumps all over my face that weren't acne but just texture. I have been off Yaz for a year now, and I still have the red bumpy texture all over my face."

• Tes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 6, 2019

For Birth Control "My experience with this drug has been terrible. I was prescribed it to treat my endometriosis, and although it began to help that, it had other crazy side effects. I began to get severely depressed (not wanting to do ANYTHING, not even shower or brush my teeth), my anxiety has been through the roof, began having heart palpitations which then made my anxiety worse, headaches, difficulty sleeping, and tingling in my arms/legs. My doctor took me off of it over a week ago and I’m still struggling with these side effects. If given the option, DO NOT take this pill."

• BCA...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 15, 2020

"YAZ was honestly a terror for me. It gave me the worst yeast infections of my life, made sex dry, painful, and unpleasant. It made me so emotionally high-strung and anxious. I felt bloated and insecure the entire time I was on it. I would not recommend YAZ to anyone, the only positives were that it cleared up my skin and I didn’t get pregnant while on YAZ. But considering all the other birth control options, I would never take YAZ again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 20, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking Yaz for 18 months now, and it’s been the worst experience of my life. I’ve become a completely different person. It’s made me anxious, depressed, and I feel completely numb. I just stopped taking it, so I’m hoping it gets better soon. It cleared up my acne, which is the only upside to it, but it’s not worth taking it."

• Can...
• April 28, 2018

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I started taking Yaz about 6 months ago. I suffer from very severe and painful PMDD and periods (I bloat for like 10 days before my period), have had a fibroid removed, ovarian cyst ruptures, etc., etc. (just bad luck overall with my reproductive system). Docs have put me on a lot of pills in the past. I have to say Yaz is the only pill that has ever helped with my physical symptoms. But it has also had the most crippling effect on my mental health. I've experienced sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, and worthlessness like never before. I cry at the drop of a hat (not normal for me), I can't focus (and I'm in grad school). If my boyfriend doesn't text me back for a couple of hours, I'm basically on my deathbed. It's crazy. I really thought I was going super crazy, but I'm pretty sure it's this pill. I'm going to see a doc about it to see what they have to say. It sucks what we have to go through - choosing between pain and discomfort or damaged emotional health!"

• emm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2021

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "It’s been 2 to 3 years since I have had PMDD. I had terrible anxiety, crying spells, I felt rejected, and I had insomnia every month and never really realized it was PMDD. About 6 months ago, I talked to my mom about it, and she told me it was probably PMDD because she had the same thing. Yaz was the solution for her. So, I tried it with hope it would work for me. Unfortunately, it didn’t help me. I believe it even made it worse, I had anxiety panics during the night, which I rarely had before. Also, it really affected my libido, and I never wanted to have sex with my boyfriend. I was really feeling desperate and feeling that nothing would work for me until I tried the antidepressant Citalopram. For me, it was life-changing, I take 10 mg every day, and I have almost no more symptoms of PMDD. It has worked really great for me. So, I would say try Yaz first, because it worked for my mom and it worked for a lot of women, and if it doesn’t work, try Citalopram! It is really life-changing for me :)"

• Sav...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 9, 2023

For Birth Control "I was on Yaz for about 3 years after discovering I had PCOS and had a horrible experience with it. I’ve recently switched back to Ortho Tri-Cyclen, which I was on for about 10 years and never had a problem. From the beginning of my time taking Yaz, I had breakthrough bleeding, multiple chemical pregnancies, worsening depression and anxiety, and my migraines got progressively worse. I would bleed for 8 weeks or so, receive little to no help or direction from my gynecologist, and was told my body was just adjusting - even after the initial 3-month time that your body takes to regulate. Recently, I had another issue with bleeding for 8 weeks or so, and I was fed up, so I stopped taking it, and the bleeding immediately stopped. I don’t know why I had such an adverse reaction or why my doctor didn’t suggest something different all this time, but be careful and listen to your body if you plan to take this medication."

• Slp...
• January 20, 2016

For Acne "I've been on Yaz for about 4 months now. I tried the generic Gianvi, but it was seriously like taking rage pills, so now I'm using the brand name even though insurance doesn't cover it. I started taking Yaz to help with my skin because I was breaking out really bad. I noticed a significant difference in my skin within the first month, and now my skin is completely clear with the exception of the occasional bump or two around my period. I get the typical mood swings around my period, but nothing too crazy. I have noticed I feel a little more anxious since I've started taking it, but it isn't extreme. My boobs are much more full now, which I like, but I have gained a little weight (about 3-5 pounds), which has proven hard to get rid of."

• Jil...
• March 12, 2021

For Acne "I took Yaz for a month, and it messed me up. I was getting headaches all the time, I cried at every little thing, my acne didn't improve at all, and my period never fully went away after my cycle should have been over. (Meaning I had my period and then spotted for the rest of the month.) Now that I'm off Yaz, I have horrible anxiety and panic attacks. I didn't have anxiety or panic attacks before taking the pill. I don't recommend this tiny pill, it is awful and will screw you up. I've had to have so much blood work and EKGs (testing my heart's rhythm) to see if it's a thyroid disorder or my body just adjusting after the pill. Don't do it, it's not worth all of the trouble."

• Sab...
• March 11, 2021

For Birth Control "I have been on Yaz for five months now, about to start my 6th pack. I used to be on Blisolvi-Fe, which made me extremely depressed. I got off the pill for a little less than two years and started Yaz as I got into a serious relationship. At first, Yaz was great; it cleared my acne and shortened my periods. The downsides of it are that my periods never come on the placebo days, which gives me anxiety about being pregnant. Yaz has also suppressed my sex drive a lot. This has caused many arguments in my relationship. My mood has been affected, but not as much as it was on Blisolvi-Fe. I have been tired a lot, which I’m not sure is caused by the pill, but it could be. I also feel like it has suppressed my personality and made me a little bland, if that makes sense. I want to switch pills to get my sex drive back and to lessen my anxiety and mood swings, but I do not want to gain weight, get acne, or get on a pill that will cause worse depression and mood swings."