Yaz and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 3)

• unw...
• November 4, 2009

For Birth Control "I was on Yaz for about three months. I became moody, emotional, it gave me headaches, lowered my sex drive, and gave me anxiety. I just did not feel like myself on this pill. I have since switched to LOESTRIN, and so far, it's been good. No side effects yet. I'm feeling like myself again. My sex drive is still not what it used to be, but I understand that most birth control pills cause a decrease in libido. I personally do not recommend Yaz, but I know that each pill works differently for different people. My friends that were on Yaz said the same things that I am saying."

• tru...
• February 1, 2018

For Acne "I started Yaz in 2016 to clear up some moderate acne that affected my confidence a great deal. It took about three months to see any noticeable change, but after that, it was extremely clear and I felt amazing! However, I had to go off it a few months later as I’d been getting frequent headaches and thought the pill was the cause. Then, of course, the dreaded pimples came back, and slowly but surely, about three months after, they were worse than before I went on it. So, I decided to go back on Yaz as I knew it had worked for me in the past. Now I’ve been on it for almost two months, and my skin is the absolute worst it has ever been, with bright red cystic acne all over my cheeks (I didn’t even have it there before). Although it upsets me a great deal, as it does everyone else, I am remaining hopeful because it has worked wonders in the past, and I think my body is just taking its time to adjust to change! Also, no more headaches!"

• luc...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 18, 2012

For Birth Control "I was on Lutera before it was suggested that I switch to the generic form of Yaz in order to help clear up my skin. So I did. For the first weeks or so, I was very tired and had excruciating headaches, both of which were very out of character for me. This resolved after about a week. As for my skin, it took probably about four months to clear up, but after it cleared up, it stayed that way, thanks to Yaz. On the negative side, this pill brought my libido into the negative. Also, dryness became an issue, which of course further affected my libido in a negative way, besides just being embarrassing in general. Now my insurance has decided to no longer cover it, so I am switching. I am worried about my skin, but excited to have my sex life back."

• Anonymous
• July 28, 2016

For Birth Control "I'm a full-time athlete, never really struggled with acne but wanted to experience a birth control as my periods were irregular, which disrupted my training and travel. I've never really suffered from acne in my life, but the first month being on Yaz, I experienced the most pimples I've ever had. Now I'm left with scars. Now, onto my second month, I am seeing slow improvement, still getting a few pimples. I have put on 2 kg, which I'm not completely sure if it's been this pill or that I have increased my weights by a great margin. My boobs have also seen a significant increase in size. In the last month, I have experienced migraines, headaches, nausea. Not sure how this pill is going to play out, but if no improvement is seen after 3 months, I'm out."

• Anonymous
• May 10, 2010

For Birth Control "I was on Yaz for a year, trying to let my body get used to it. It made me depressed and made my PMS even worse, accompanied by headaches. It made my period irregular (twice a month and heavy). It did help my acne, I'll give it credit for that, but on it, I gained about 20 pounds, and it's been really hard to take that weight off."

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2009

For Birth Control "I have been on Yaz for a couple of months. I decided to switch to Yaz to gain weight and clear up my mild acne. Overall, I have had a positive experience with it. In the beginning, my periods lasted only a couple of days, but now, I have no period at all. Also, my face is clear, but I did not gain weight from the pill. The weight I have gained was from muscle weight from working out. I'd say the only negative were my massive headaches when I did have my period. The headaches would come on my first day of my period. But now, with no period, I have no headache!"

• lai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2020

For Birth Control "I have been suffering with extremely, EXTREMELY heavy, long, and moody periods since I was 12. I am now 18 and have had the Implanon rod inserted, which did nothing, and then put on the pill alongside another medication to lighten the blood flow. This is the third pill I have tried, hoping it would help my periods. The first week of taking Yaz, I am anxious, moody, having headaches every day, and suffering cramps and body aches. I am now booking in to see a gynecologist, and I advise anybody who has been through years of crazy periods to skip the doctors and go straight to a specialist."

• Anonymous
• February 5, 2010

For Birth Control "I took Yaz for about 4 years. I loved it at first. I did go up a cup size and got a little curvier, but overall, it was great. The last year, however, I started to turn into a monster during my period. I got severe migraines right at the start of my period, and it would last about two days. I am not sure why the medicine changed on me, but I recently switched to Loestrin 24 because I couldn't handle the mood swings and headaches any longer. My doctor said there was no link in all of these recent changes... I had to disagree with her though because I already feel better after switching."

• Anonymous
• May 9, 2009

For Birth Control "I'm 19, and I had never taken any birth control before Yaz. It completely cleared up my acne, and my breasts significantly increased in size but were very sore all the time. I had no noticeable weight gain or hair loss/growth or spotting. My sex drive was bipolar, however, and taking the pill also gave me occasional slight dizziness, yeast infection, moodiness, anxiety, and even depression, which I had never experienced before. I often had intense headaches and stomach aches but no nausea. My period didn't seem to get any lighter or shorter, and PMS, though typically not much of an issue for me, was no different. I got to a point where I just felt awful and had to stop taking it after about 3 months."

• Anonymous
• November 13, 2009

For Acne "I have been taking Yaz for about a year now. My skin cleared, my periods have always been light, my cramps are normal or easier to deal with. However, I cannot gain weight, and my breasts grew about a cup size. I know these things don't sound like a bad experience, and I am not saying I dislike this contraceptive, but obviously, not being able to weigh more than 115 lbs isn't exactly normal. I also just don't really have much of an appetite. I am especially hungry in the morning. I occasionally get tension headaches, however, not sure if that has any relation to this."

• lil...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 27, 2021

For Acne "I switched to Yaz from Ortho-Cyclen and have been on it for almost two years. After six months, I noticed that I had significantly less acne. It has also kept me from getting pregnant. I haven't gained any weight and had fewer cramps during my period. For mild side effects, I did get worse headaches during my period and spotting. I have a lowered libido too. But the worst side effect for me is anxiety and depression. I started having panic attacks and bouts of depression only months after starting the pill. I also became very paranoid and jealous in my relationship, which was likely unfounded. I've realized that my sanity is more important than the positives this pill has brought. If you have underlying or undiagnosed anxiety or depression, it's possible that the Yaz pill can exacerbate this. I will be stopping Yaz next month and exploring other options to take care of my mental health."

• BC1...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 25, 2021

For Birth Control "I decided to switch from Dianette to Yaz after doing research and heard Yaz was good for acne, and Dianette was making me extremely depressed and having random bursts of sadness and crying for no reason. I have been taking Yaz for 10 months, and although it did help to clear my acne, for the last 3 months, I have not been myself, feel lower than I ever have before, and my anxiety is crippling. It makes me not even want to get out of bed most days and has made me so unmotivated. My cramps are worse than ever before and have a constant headache throughout my 'period.' I am coming off this pill for a while and will then try the minipill (progestin only)."

• cas...
• June 1, 2010

"I took Yaz for a little over 2 years. From around the age of 16 to 18. I gained a little bit of weight, not much, but extremely hard to lose. Also, I experienced mood swings frequently, sometimes getting extremely upset and feeling the need to cry. But the reason I stopped taking Yaz was that I started to get extremely bad migraines/headaches. These headaches would come very frequently. I would say averaging around 2-5 days a week. Migraines run in my family, but the funny thing is I never experienced them before the pill. Also, nothing would help these headaches. I took everything from Tylenol to Excedrin Migraine. Nothing helped. Hoped this helped! Good luck!"

• Anonymous
• August 10, 2010

"Yaz has been great for me so far! I just had my baby and researched different birth control methods. I liked how Yaz sounded because I do suffer from PMDD. The first month I took this, I didn't notice anything different (probably because I just had a baby and my hormones are out of whack still). But I have noticed much difference within the next 2 months of taking this. My face has also cleared up, which is awesome! I was so worried about losing my sex drive on the pill, but it seriously has INCREASED a lot! I was also worried about gaining weight on this, but I have lost weight instead! The only negative side effect I somewhat experience is headaches and a little bit of nausea. Other than that, I highly recommend Yaz."

• Nop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 18, 2021

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "Never felt this way on a BC. It was only my 4th day on the generic version of Yaz. I got a terrible headache and then couldn't sleep at all until 3 a.m. I stopped taking the pill, and the day after, I still had a headache. My mood went down really bad and anxiety came back. I only had mild anxiety on NuvaRing and heard Yaz helped with PMDD. My PMDD was way better without taking these pills. I am also taking venlafaxine for my anxiety, and maybe the combination of the drospirenone and my dose was too much. I started getting cystic acne that I never got before. My face was pretty clear with a tiny pimple or two. On this for only 4 days, and I woke up with acne marks that hurt so bad. I scar easily, so I couldn't continue this BC. I'm happy it worked for everyone else."

• Ver...
• July 6, 2011

For Birth Control "I've been taking Yaz since 2009, and I really love it. It is wonderful. I feel great, and the only problem I have is a light headache when I'm taking the white pills (last 4). But I really recommend this pill for birth control."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2019

For Birth Control "I was taking another brand of Yaz combination pill for years, but from a different laboratory and stopped for 6-7 months. Where I am now, just Yaz is available. 1 month and a half, and yes, it is working, of course, for birth control, BUT my skin is worse than ever, I am bloated and have nausea every night (4 hours after I take it), and I wake up in the middle of the night just because of the discomfort/pain. I am experiencing obsessive thoughts, especially about food and things that I could have done better (social contexts). Oh, I almost forgot the headaches, kind of migraines that I never had before. I will wait until the third month, as the prospectus suggests, but if this continues, I am definitely leaving it."

• Dan...
• February 27, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on Yaz for about 6 months, and my body has not shown any physical changes, but I have noticed several changes in other areas. At first, the pill was fine, but when I took my pills to have a period in February on the 6th, the period never went away. I am nearly at the period stage of the next pack, and I am still on my period from the previous pack. I have an irregular heartbeat; I will be sitting, watching TV or doing work, and I can feel my heartbeat, as if I have run a marathon. The last side effect is headaches, but they come suddenly, and nothing gets rid of them. I never had a headache in my life, and this is the absolute truth; until I started taking Yaz. I went to the doctor, and she immediately took me off these pills and prescribed Avaine, which I've read the reviews on here, and they are horrible as well. I am about to stop birth control altogether."

• Anonymous
• September 28, 2009

For Menstrual Disorders "I have really bad cramps on my period and usually end up taking a day off of work each month. Since I've started Yaz, I now have almost all the symptoms of PMS/PMDD, which I hadn't had before. I had bad cramps and bloating for a couple of days during my period, sure, that's normal. But now I have mild cramps, bloating, headaches, irritability, muscle aches, and trouble sleeping EVERY DAY since I've started! The doctor says it may take 3-6 months for my body to get used to the hormones, but if this continues after 3 months, I'm getting off them! The only bonus: my period is regular, unlike before."

• Cob...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 11, 2019

For Birth Control "My OB/GYN tried me on Yaz in my younger days because TriNessa was causing too much bloating and headaches. I was put on birth control to begin with for heavy periods, acne, and pregnancy protection. Yaz did help with that for a little while. At one point, I had an early miscarriage on that pill. I was unknowingly pregnant because the antibiotics I had taken for my severe cold were not completely out of my system when I thought I was safe. I later learned you have to wait until your next period to be safe. I only waited 2 weeks. I never missed any pills or was late, so it had to be the antibiotics. Well, after a while, this pill literally had my menstrual cycle completely backwards. I would have my period placebo week, stop bleeding for a week, and have light breakthrough bleeding the rest of the month until my period came. It was a good pill for a while, though. My OB/GYN had to switch me to Loestrin 1.5/30 because this one didn't have enough hormones at that time."

• Anonymous
• December 8, 2010

For Birth Control "I was accidentally put on Yaz when I was supposed to be on Yasmin back in July 2008. I just decided to stick it out and see if there was a difference. The 10 microgram difference in dosage made a HUGE difference. (Yasmin 30 microgram, Yaz 20 microgram) From July 2008 to January 2009, (the time I was on Yaz) it was completely miserable. I had constant nausea, would feel sick eating anything with lactose, had mood swings that almost cost me my relationship, unbearable headaches, and at times I had sharp shooting back pain. I felt completely unmotivated, and it had a negative effect on my school life. Once I switched back to the 30 microgram dosage, (Ocella) the side effects decreased dramatically."

• Anonymous
• April 1, 2011

For Birth Control "I've been on Yaz for about three years. The first two years, I took the pill for moderate acne. It worked great for my skin (which I cleanse religiously with Dermalogica now... if anyone wants a good skin care wash, that's it), and it did not seem to affect my weight. I'm on the thin side for my tall frame, so a little weight would have been welcome. This last year is when I actually started using the pill as a form of contraception. It has worked very well for me, as in I'm not pregnant, but I have breakthrough bleeding constantly. My doctor decided to switch my birth control. It is a great pill with minor side effects (headaches, spotting, breakthrough bleeding, acne flare-ups between packs). The pill works differently for everyone."

• Anonymous
• December 12, 2011

For Birth Control "The only good thing that came from Yaz was that it completely cleared up my mild acne, I mean flawless skin. However, I went from a 34A to a 34D in 3 months and gained 15 pounds that no matter how much I exercised I couldn't lose. Another negative it gave me chronic headaches and an upset stomach 24/7. Another plus was that I didn't get pregnant on this pill! Overall, great pill for acne, bad for other side effects."

• yel...
• June 18, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on Yaz for 5 weeks. I have put on 7 kilos, wake up to swollen fingers, have sore, hard breasts, completely no sex drive, and the worst, a week after taking Yaz, I got a chest infection. Thought it was viral, had antibiotics. It's now 4 weeks of chest infection. Googled Yaz symptoms and saw it can cause upper respiratory infections. OMG! Couldn't believe a month of hardly being able to breathe, time off work, and doctor's visits to discover it's Yaz causing it. I stopped it today and have had a bad headache tonight. Hope it's out of my system quickly."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 26, 2017

For Birth Control "The smell of food makes me immediately nauseous, but I haven't allowed it to let me puke. I never get headaches unless I have the flu, but my head constantly hurts. I've only been on Yaz for a week now, and these symptoms started on day 2 and haven't gotten any better. I constantly feel unmotivated, sluggish, and dehydrated. I have not had my period at all and missed my last one. Most likely going to switch to a different drug. Also taking it to help with acne. It got really bad before it got better somewhat. My skin looked way better before I had taken anything."