Yaz and Headaches: What Users Say

• Acn...
• August 3, 2020

For Acne "Since I’m spending so much time reading through reviews on this page, I thought I would add in my experience from this pill! I am currently halfway through my second pack of a random generic for Yaz. Like a lot of you, my doc put me on this pill to help reduce acne (I tend towards blackheads, close comedones, as well as those dang cysts that stick around forever). Hate to say it, but I am definitely one of the ones experiencing worse skin, since beginning, I have had pretty constant cysts on my cheek/jaw area. Right now, I can count about 8 different spots that are very red and will linger for weeks (as well as my original congestion). I am hopeful that, like others have said, by pack 3 I will wake up with that magically clear skin. AS A SIDE NOTE: I am miraculously side effect-free other than the acne! No nausea, weight gain, moodiness, headaches, nada! I even started mid-cycle and didn’t get any breakthrough bleeding. I will update with this same name around the three-month mark."

• Anonymous
• June 28, 2008

For Acne "I'm 31 years old. Had mild acne for years. Tried many OTC kits and prescription topicals. Naturopathic to Allopathic. I am a very healthy vegetarian, eat whole foods diet. Nothing helped. Most breakouts were under my chin or around my jaw. I was against the idea of taking a BCP for acne. I hated the idea of putting something artificial into my body. I am so happy that I gave in. My face was totally clear within 2 weeks. No negative side effects. I have finished 2 packs. Mild nausea and headaches the first week."

• Rac...
• June 29, 2009

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I developed premenstrual dysphoric disorder after having my first child and it was unbearable. Two weeks out of every month I would be terribly swollen and bloated, hungry, craving weird things, suffered from insomnia, had headaches and felt tired, and just really sick in general. I was also totally crazy and my moods would go up and down really dramatically. I just finished my first pack of Yaz and it has been AMAZING. Within the first month, ALL of my symptoms have gone away and I feel great. I have even lost some weight. I had a slight headache and nausea the first 2 or 3 days I was on the pill, but other than that, nothing at all. I was afraid to take it because of all the negative reviews, but everyone is different. Worked great for me and has changed my life."

• ana...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 29, 2019

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I began using Yaz 7 months ago on my mother and sister's recommendation (my sister also suffers from PMDD and has been taking Yaz for years). For the first few months, I saw a drastic improvement: my mood was better, my skin cleared up, my boobs got bigger, etc. However, I have recently decided to come off Yaz as I was starting to experience negative side effects, mainly the worsening of my mood. I was suffering from immense mood swings and a lot of the time feeling very depressed. My periods were becoming irregular (for example, coming before I had begun the sugar pills), and I also started suffering from severe headaches every day. Now, every experience is different as my sister has had no trouble for years, so I think it is worth a try, however, I strongly suggest you keep some sort of record of all the symptoms you are feeling and keep an eye out as it took me a while to realize things were going downhill again."

• sar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 10, 2019

For Birth Control "I started using Yaz to treat my PCOS and excess facial hair growth. I always felt depressed, but I kind of dealt with it, it wasn't that bad until I started taking this pill. First, I was crying every night for no reason. I had terrible headaches (something that never happened to me before), and my anxiety and depression are at their highest. I'm having really dark thoughts, and I'm so scared because I think I will hurt myself or my family. And don't get me started on obsessive thoughts, they make me hate myself. Do not take this pill for any reason!"

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 23, 2019

For Birth Control "I've gotten into a serious relationship this past year, and I opted to get birth control. I have had the Xulane birth control patches and the generic Yaz, Gianvi. Xulane gave me every side effect possible-mood swings, nausea, and headache, and Gianvi made me have mood swings. I asked my pharmacist to give me the non-generic version, and I finally got Yaz. I've had zero side effects, no mood swings, no weight gain, and glowing skin! If you're hesitant to try because of previous bad reviews, give it a shot! I am the person who has every possible bad side effect of every drug, and I highly recommend it!"

• Nat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2013

For Acne "Having been on Estelle-35 for nearly a year (which gave me the worst acne of my life, 10 times worse than it already was), I decided to change to Yaz. I'm in my third month of taking it, and I think I've broken out (4-6 spots at the same time) twice, whereas before I was getting 4-6 new spots per day. No initial breakouts. Only had one cyst in nearly three months. The only side effect was my fault - I didn't wait until my period to start taking them and had breakthrough bleeding for around three weeks. I haven't experienced any weight gain, headaches, etc. If you're deciding whether to try the pill for your acne, just do it. Seriously. It's done wonders for my confidence and anxiety, and I can actually look people in the eye now!"

• gui...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2012

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "This is my second day on Yaz. I have been on countless other birth control methods such as Marvelon, Tri-Cyclen Lo, Demulen, and most recently, Aviane. When I was on Marvelon, I never noticed anything while I was taking the pills side effect-wise, but my periods were unbearably heavy. On Tri-Cyclen, my period was light, but it never stopped for three months! On Demulen, I went into a deep depression that I am still getting over. And finally, on Aviane, it was great, but I gained about 40 lbs in the past year. I went on Yaz to help keep me upbeat and happy (coupled with my daily dose of Prozac) and to hopefully help me shed some weight and give me comfortable and short periods. So far, so good. High libido and no negative side effects except slight headache."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2020

"I wasn’t able to get my usual birth control, so I used Yaz and had a terrible experience. I got bad anxiety and depression, headaches, nausea, moodiness, and I gained several pounds around my lower belly in a matter of weeks. I would not recommend this birth control."

• bec...
• August 9, 2017

For Birth Control "I was on this medication for one month and have never felt worse in my entire life. Before taking this pill, I was an energetic and positive person. Now I am exhausted all the time and hit a wall at 4:00 every day. My confidence has plummeted, and I am experiencing extreme mood swings, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. I have never experienced anxiety prior to taking this birth control, and I have had multiple intense panic attacks within the past month. Other side effects have been increased heart rate, tight chest, trouble breathing, and chronic headaches. I was put on Yaz for my acne, and it did help in some sense, but it is not worth feeling like crap 24/7."

• Anonymous
• January 22, 2009

For Birth Control "I have been taking Yaz for a month now. I have been on so many birth controls in the past, and they all made me crazy. I feel normal on Yaz. The only downfall is I do have a hard time getting up in the morning. Extremely tired. There is no spotting, though, no bloating, no headaches, and I think I lost weight, which is a plus."

• Lan...
• November 3, 2019

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I started taking Yaz as my PMDD symptoms were getting unmanageable. For 1 week before my period, I would become depressed, irritable, fatigued (to the point of needing to nap during the day), and very emotional. I also had cystic acne and would get severe period pain. The first month on Yaz, I felt great. I had no emotional symptoms the week before my period, and my skin started to clear, and my period only lasted 4 days and caused me no problems. Almost immediately after starting my second month, I started to become depressed, irritable, and incredibly fatigued, as well as getting headaches daily. It took me a couple of weeks to realize that it was likely the pill, so I stopped taking it, and within 48 hours, I felt completely normal again. I know it works for some people, but it really didn't work for me."

• nrn...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 17, 2019

For Birth Control "It's been more than two years with the Yaz pill, and there was nothing wrong in the first place, no extra pounds, no extra cellulite, no absurd food issues, and no extra baby. But then my migraine started getting bad. I had loss of vision, severe headaches, and very, very harsh mood changes. No, not change, more like some permanent anger. So I quit Yaz. I don't use anything else right now because I don't trust pills. It has been just a week, but even now I feel better."

• Rad...
• July 7, 2015

For Birth Control "Let me just start this by saying, you need to wait this birth control out. I had some moderate acne before taking the pill and was needing to get back on a birth control and figured that Yaz would be a good bet. Well, I have really zero side effects with Yaz, which I was so happy with. I still have a sex drive, I don't get headaches, bitchiness, or stomach aches. Overall, great pill. I had read the reviews about the pill before going on it and noticed most people had an initial first breakout period with it getting better until month 3, so true! The first two months were hell, terrible breakouts I would say the worst in my life. But I am now in month four and am hardly breaking out! Wait it out, it will pay off!"

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 4, 2020

For Birth Control "I've been taking Yaz for 10 months because of my irregular menstrual cycle. I have to say that my experience has been fine. It, of course, regulated my cycle and cleared up my cystic acne. The only thing I don't like is the headache I get on day one and two of starting a new pack. Other than that, everything functions like normal. No vaginal dryness, no spotting, no low sex drive, etc. Although my experience has been good, I will keep a lookout for these symptoms that other women have experienced as a precaution."

• Gia...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 26, 2018

For Acne "All side effects (headache, nausea, crazy emotions, spotting) went away after my first month on Yaz. I saw improvement in my skin after just a week, and my skin was completely clear after 4 months. I didn’t gain any weight, but the only thing is that I am always thirsty. I would recommend this pill to everyone who is struggling with acne."

• emi...
• February 4, 2008

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I took this for a few months and decided to stop. Several mornings, I woke up to a severely swollen face that lasted for several hours. I also experienced headaches and swollen hands. It also did not improve my PMS symptoms."

• Anonymous
• September 4, 2008

For Birth Control "I think Yaz is a good birth control pill overall. My doctor switched me to this pill because it is one of the lowest doses out there. I needed to go back on birth control pills because I suffered from hot flushes as soon as I went off the pill. It took two weeks on Yaz to stop the hot flushes (I'm only 42, by the way), and I feel so much better. I do agree, however, that it does make me a little tired, and I do have some headaches (during the period week), but nothing like the monster headaches I got on some other brands. All in all, a good product. I will be on it as long as my doctor allows me to-hopefully to 50."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 22, 2019

For Birth Control "I started taking Yaz just last month. When I started taking the white period-inducing pills, the period didn't stop after I switched back to the rest of the monthly pills. I've had my period for 13 days straight at a time and am not sure what to do. Also, breast soreness, nausea, and headaches have occurred, making this rather unpleasant."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• January 30, 2021

For Birth Control "Yaz was fine at the start for the first 3-4 months, but after that, I’ve been having the worst headaches. I feel constantly low, which has never been an issue before in my life. My eczema began to flare up extremely badly, and I’ve had tonsillitis 3 times, an ear infection, styes in my eye due to a weakened immune system, all within the time period of 6 months. The only positive is my skin, which has been completely cleared."

• 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."

• Sma...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 28, 2020

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "This medication is awful! First three months I broke out terribly in my chest and had severe headaches. Figured I needed time to adjust. Then last month, I started getting bad pain in my ovaries-Yaz had caused a huge cyst-never had it before. Required surgical intervention. Not to mention, my periods came whenever, wasn't even a period though, just bloody discharge and horrible cramps that sent me to the ER once because they made me vomit for four days straight. OBGYN pulled me off of it ASAP!"

• Anonymous
• August 20, 2019

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "So I was put on this pill about 4 months ago because I had lost my period for over 9-10 months due to rapid weight loss, and I had done everything to try and get it back, so the gynecologist put me on Yaz to force me to get my period. I think the pill is great, I don’t really experience a lot of the side effects except for a little weight gain, which I don’t know is from not going to the gym consistently like I used to or from water retention. But I have noticed that my boobs have grown like 2 sizes bigger. I also get headaches once in a while, but that’s not a big deal."

• Arr...
• March 3, 2016

For Birth Control "I'm currently still on Yaz because my mother won't let me off of it. I'm 18 and not using Yaz for contraception but for depression and anxiety, which I find horrendous that my doctor has kinda just gone, 'you're a female, it must be your period!' Idiot. However, Yaz was kind of working at the start, everything has gone downhill, and now in my fourth month of using it, I'm thinking of stopping taking them against my doctor and mother because my periods are irregular. I drink a lot of water, but I'm constipated daily. I have funny discharge, I've put on weight, I have headaches and feel dizzy. Closer to my period, I get sick and feel like vomiting, and I'm not happy. These pills don't help me how they're supposed to, they just hurt me."