Yaz and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Tay...
• April 18, 2018

For Birth Control "I was prescribed Yaz 2.5 years ago to help treat my PMDD and help clear my acne. For the first year, I found Yaz great. I no longer got PMS symptoms, my periods were lighter, and my skin was the clearest it's ever been in my life. I didn't experience any weight gain either. However, these past 12 months, I have noticed a drastic change in my mood. I became depressed, suffering extreme anxiety, and lost complete motivation and passion for life. I cry easily, I feel helpless, I have less self-esteem, I feel more nervous around people, I'm constantly tired and lacking energy. I used to go to the gym 7 days a week, but now I can't even force myself to leave the house. I'm completely opposite to the person I was when I wasn't taking the pill. I experience constant yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. I decided to stop taking Yaz and am hoping I will go back to being the person I was before I used this pill. Please, please do your research before taking this pill!"

• Mad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2019

For Birth Control "I am on month 5 of Yaz, and it has been pretty awful. My periods have been super irregular and unpredictable when I used to have a period every 4 weeks for 4 days like clockwork. My first period on the pill lasted 3 weeks, the next two came early and lasted 2 weeks, the next month I didn't have one, and this month I have had two. My sex drive has diminished to almost zero, and I have had crazy mood swings. I have never struggled with depression or anxiety until I started Yaz. Positives: my skin cleared up within weeks of starting Yaz, and I have had minimal breakouts. My period symptoms have lightened up, my cramps aren't as bad, and insomnia has gone away. Also, not pregnant. I am looking into switching, but I don't know what to switch to :/"

• Anonymous
• July 6, 2010

For Menstrual Disorders "Yaz completely changed my life for good. I've suffered from PMDD for many years; to the point that I felt I had no life because of mood swings, cramps, migraines, bloating, and terrible anxiety. I've been taking Yaz for a month now, and I just experienced my first period on it, 3 light days vs. 7 days (2 extremely heavy days). I have mild cramps still. I really love Yaz; it also has improved my sex drive!"

• Zun...
• June 8, 2019

For Birth Control "I started taking Yaz one year ago after the birth of my first child. The whole time on it did prevent conception, but I used to remain agitated, angry, and confused. Last month, before quitting, I started having silly obsessive thoughts with considerable anxiety and a low mood. The whole time on it, I had excessive tiredness. I wouldn't suggest any woman take Yaz if she has mood issues."

• Fat...
• June 20, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Yaz for 3 months. The heavy bleeding, agony, and cramps have all stopped, plus the cravings. Although I feel very low and depressed. I seem to be overly sensitive and raw all the time. It's becoming harder to contain myself around loved ones as I am so emotional and seem to snap at everything and everyone. I would seriously recommend whether this is the right option if you suffer from mental health issues or you are prone to it. I generally do feel anxious without the pill, although I have been feeling depressed recently, and it's dreadful."

• pin...
• November 21, 2015

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "After having some issues with what could be classified as PMDD, I went on a search for ways to help alleviate the mood swings I got every month around the time of Aunt Flow's visit. After Googling around, Yaz was the number one remedy that I found, so I went to Planned Parenthood, got a prescription, and tried it out for a month. Let's just say my PMDD went away... but I was in crying fits and had really bad anxiety for about 80% of the month. Nothing new has come up for me that would cause those issues, and it is very abnormal for me to cry that much and have uncontrollable anxiety. In short, this drug made me crazier and depressed. It sucked! I've been off of it for two days, and I'm finally feeling better. Nope! Not for me."

• CAL...
• January 3, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on YAZ since I was 16 (now 26). I used to be happy all the time, excited about life, enjoy sex, and just fine. Since I've been taking YAZ, I have gone from mild to severe depression, anxiety attacks, uncontrolled bouts of crying, panic attacks, and now I may have the first signs of glaucoma. I now take high doses of antidepressants. My mental health shows no signs of improving. It has gotten worse as I have gotten older. I went to a psychiatrist a few years back, and she put me on Prozac, but the symptoms have gotten worse. Now I'm on triple doses of antidepressants. After reading these articles and the side effects of other users, I'm confident it is the result of YAZ. I attend medical school, so I shall have tests done next week."

• Cla...
• February 11, 2021

For Birth Control "I started Yaz for my PMDD. First, it was pretty normal: nausea, headache, and sore boobs. Then the second week hit, and I completely lost my appetite, lost all sex drive, and felt awful mentally and emotionally. I would feel depressed and anxious right when I woke up and would have breakdowns every day in the middle of the day. Once nighttime came, I felt numb and lazy. My PMDD wasn’t good before getting on Yaz, but it was at least manageable. I felt like my reality changed, I didn’t feel normal. I didn’t get my period while on it. I called my doctor to see if these symptoms would persist, and she suggested I wait a couple of months because my symptoms were normal...but later that day, I had a panic attack and decided to get off ASAP. It’s been 3 days since I stopped (was on it for exactly two weeks), and I feel slight relief knowing it was the Yaz that made me feel so awful, but I still have the bad thoughts and anxiety, and my appetite isn’t back. Hoping I feel normal again soon."

• Che...
• December 24, 2016

For Birth Control "Worst mistake of my life. I was on Yaz for 3 months, my acne is worse than ever. I gained a lot of weight, my mental health has never been so bad - anxiety, depression. My self-esteem is so low it's terrifying. I would not recommend this medication to anyone - but I understand everyone is different, and some have had great experiences with Yaz. Unfortunately, I was not one of them."

• Gab...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 13, 2019

For Birth Control "I just finished my first month on the Yaz birth control. My OBGYN put me on it because I tend to have excess anxiety and depression prior to my period for about 2 weeks. This has been a bad month, I have to say. I have been constantly bloated and gained weight in my stomach area despite 5-6 days of workouts per week and a good diet. And the worst part is my anxiety and depression have been through the roof. I have been anxious about the weight gain as well, and it’s borderline paranoia and being so uncomfortable in my own body. Birth control works differently on everyone, I understand, but after doing more research on Yaz and drug company distribution, I feel it’s a very sketchy drug company due to recalls in the past and unexplained product ingredients as well. Yaz probably works for many people, but this is my experience as well, and I am sharing mostly to let those who haven’t had good experiences know they’re not alone!"

• Zen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2019

For Birth Control "In June, I was diagnosed with PCOS, and my doctor put me on Yaz to help regulate my periods and get rid of my excess facial hair growth. I started taking it at the beginning of July, and it was easily the worst month of my life. I’m 18, and I had never used birth control before. I was expecting the basic side effects, but it was so much worse than that. I have had bad anxiety and depression in the past, but it was always something I felt I could handle. But as soon as I started taking Yaz, everything went downhill quickly. I had anxiety attacks every day, I had no motivation to get off the couch and clean up. It was horrible. I cried every day and even started to feel suicidal. To make it worse, it gave me horrible nausea to the point where I stopped eating for days, and I could barely swallow the pill. My sister said she had a similar experience taking Yaz. I wouldn’t recommend."

• Shi...
• July 29, 2009

For Birth Control "I have been on Yaz for almost 5 months. Every month, my doctor told me to try to wait one more month that my body would adjust. It has caused me to have extreme anxiety, gain weight, and severe depression. My poor boyfriend has had to deal with me for the past couple of months and I'm nothing but depressed. But it has been great for pregnancy reasons. I'm only with one person, so it's my only birth control, and so far, so good there."

• Emo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 6, 2014

For Birth Control "Made me very emotional and anxious. I felt like I was going crazy. It also made my periods irregular and gave me awful cramps. Only took for 4 months, and it caused me to have 3 very painful ovarian cysts. Was not the right birth control for me!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 12, 2021

For Birth Control "This pill was great with helping my acne and my cramps. My skin became really clear, and overall, my periods were a much better experience on this pill. Unfortunately, the cons outweighed the pros. I’m not the type to ever have panic attacks, I never have anxiety really, but ever since the pill, I had the worst anxiety attacks out of nowhere. It made me extremely paranoid. I’ve been off the pill ever since, and I feel so much better, I never had another panic attack. I also gained a lot of weight on this pill, but when I stopped, the weight shedded off slowly, and I’m back to normal now!"

• bir...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 24, 2023

For Birth Control "I had a great experience with Yaz. I have been on it for about two and a half years now. I originally got on it for cystic hormonal acne, and I can tell you that my face has never been clearer! It took a couple of months for me to get accustomed to Yaz, but after that, my acne went away and my mood was so much better. I used to suffer from bad PMS that would make me very anxious and depressed. My periods used to be very heavy and painful and ten days long, and Yaz has made them lighter, shorter, and minimum pain/discomfort. My breasts also grew about one to two cup sizes. I feel my hair is growing faster and thicker. It also reduced some of my body hair! Overall, I love Yaz. Don’t let the bad reviews scare you, Yaz is different for everyone, and it has worked wonders for me."

• mrs...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 28, 2019

For Birth Control "I took the last non-placebo pill out of my pack yesterday. Will not refill prescription. I had never felt so sad, angry, and depressed in my life until I started taking this pill. The first week on this pill was bad. But I figured maybe I just need to wait it out until my hormones get balanced. But almost 4 weeks later, the anxiety and depression symptoms just got worse. I feel like an entirely different person. Always irritated, unsociable, and no energy to do anything anymore. If you are prone to depression, you might want to avoid this pill."

• Nin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2019

For Acne "I was prescribed Yaz Plus (has added folic acid) for my severe menstrual cramps and adenomyosis. The first 2 months seemed fine. It boosted my mood, cleared my skin, and my pain dropped from a 10/10 to a 3/10. However, after 3 months, my left leg started to swell (pretty sure it’s blood clot issues). I experienced severe constipation and gut motility issues as it depleted me of vitamins and minerals. I’ve been suffering with severe anxiety and insomnia as well. And I’ve been crying every day. Not to mention that I started peeing every 10 minutes. Drospirenone causes this. I had to go to a homeopath to help rebalance my system whilst on it. This pill is honestly a nightmare. Please be careful going on it, especially if you are susceptible to high cholesterol and hypertension due to family history. You know your body better than anyone else. Today will be my first official day off it. Not starting a new pack as I’d rather endure pain than the risk of life-threatening blood clots."

• aim...
• October 26, 2010

For Acne "I originally started taking Yaz for birth control, but I instantly noticed that my face cleared up. Yaz works wonders for acne, and I highly recommend it. However, it made my emotions go crazy. I became very anxious. I was on it for a year and then decided to get off of it. My anxiety decreased, but acne slowly came back. Now I am going to try it again for acne and hope that I can cope with the anxiety from it. I'm out of school now, so I'm hoping this makes it easier to cope with the side effects. Also, I did not gain any weight, and my breasts grew a full size. It's a myth that birth control causes weight gain, it only causes an increase in appetite or causes you to crave a certain food (i.e., sugar), which in turn causes you to gain weight."

• HT2...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 22, 2016

For Birth Control "I was on Yaz for 2 months and started to become anxious, paranoid, and depressed. I asked my doc to get off it, and she told me to give it more time. I got off it, nevertheless, because I did not need it. My life improved dramatically over the next 6 months. I started dating again, so I decided to give the pill another shot. I started to be anxious and insecure immediately. I started believing and accusing the person I was seeing of not being into me and got upset at him over the littlest things. A week before my period, I went into full anxious and depression mode. It felt like the world was ending. I also experienced severe cramps, migraines, and bled for 2 weeks. I am now off this drug for 2 days and noticed an immediate difference."

• Anonymous
• February 16, 2021

For Birth Control "I started taking it to regulate my period a year ago, and it has been a rollercoaster of a year. About 5 months after taking it, my mood swings started to get really bad, I always had headaches, my cramps were bad, and I started to have symptoms of anxiety and depression. I used to be so full of energy and always happy, now my mood swings are 24/7 and I have 0 energy whatsoever. Definitely going to switch birth control pills. I don't recommend Yaz."

• oof...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 6, 2018

For Birth Control "Yaz did what birth control is supposed to do in the sense that it regulated my periods and lessened my severe cramps while preventing pregnancy, but the downsides were enough to get me to go off of it. My breasts grew very quickly, almost 2 cup sizes, and were very painful. Previously, they were so small they didn’t even fit in a 32A. After Yaz, I was looking at a B or even a C cup, and it was very uncomfortable because I have a very, very petite frame. Unfortunately, that was not the worst of it. My libido decreased, my anxiety and depression worsened to the point of missing college and work for days or even weeks at a time, and I was extremely depressed and irritable."

• Tan...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 13, 2018

For Acne "I was on Yaz from age 13-27 for endometriosis and am a healthcare provider. I have suffered with debilitating anxiety since age 13, which I just assumed was genetic and never even thought to associate with the hormones I was putting into my body daily. I spent years taking medications and missing very important life events due to my anxiety. The week after I decided to switch my birth control pill of over 14 years, my anxiety suddenly disappeared and has not returned (6 months so far with ZERO anxiety). This is not due to therapy or medications, as I am no longer doing either of those. My life stressors are significantly greater now, and yet I have had ZERO anxiety. I am annoyed beyond reason that this medication was the cause of years and years of suffering. Though it helped my endo pain while I was on it, nothing can compare to the debilitating anxiety this caused me. I will never recommend this OCP to any of my patients with or without mental health predispositions."

• BB8...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2018

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking Yaz for a few months now, and each month my anxiety, depression, and dependence on my boyfriend has gotten worse. I thought I was just being a psycho until I read these reviews. Like I’d get so jealous and tell him off, and I couldn’t figure out why because I’m usually not this person. I’m very easygoing, and he’s trustworthy. Don’t do it. Find another birth control. I’m done taking this as of today."

• Cac...
• December 23, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on Yaz for five months, and I have suffered really badly with chest pain, mood swings, anxiety, really dark thoughts, feelings of ugliness, no concentration, bad sleep, feeling that I was pregnant, and no periods at all. I thought I was losing my mind. This has a significant effect on my life, my partner, and my children. There is so much info on the net about how bad this pill is and how badly it affects moods. One thing, all feedback that has had similar experiences to mine is that after a few weeks, your body gets back to normal. My GP didn't tell me the side effects, he told me to read up on it - this is my part of this - had I read about this and made an educated choice, I just wanted better skin."

• Lul...
• July 13, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been using Yaz for about 6 weeks now, and I immediately noticed my skin getting better and my skin getting clearer. My period has improved so much, it was hell before, and now it's shorter and painless. My sex drive improved as well (I didn't expect that). The big problem I have is my mood swings. I am a very happy and charismatic person, but now I feel anxious all the time. I'm sensitive over things that wouldn't bother me at all before. I cry all the time. I'm often irritable and sometimes just want to scream at everyone. I hate the emotional effects it has on me, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives."