I am a 26 yo who has been taking Yaz for the past 2 years. I never thought it was a problem until today. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 13 & have mild anxiety for the past couple of years. I have been taking birth control for many years now & switched to Yaz when I started seeing my current Obgyn. Well, to make a long story short, I have been having these "spells" lately. When I say "spells," I mean getting very dizzy & felling like I will pass out, major sweats, & rapid heart rate. For the longest time, I thought they were just mild anxiety attacks (I have had very bad ones before-emergency room, high blood pressure, etc). I know that what has been happening to me is not just anxiety anymore. The feelings that I have been getting are just not the same & taking my xanex does not make the situations any better. So, I have been monitoring my diet, making sure my meds are taken correctly, and exercising to try & find the root of these feelings. Now, let me tell you that this used to only happen to me maybe once or twice a month-if even that, & now it is happening on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. I will wake up feeling pretty good (even though I may have had nightmares or the occasional major night sweats) & then a couple hours later, or even @ 6:oopm I will start feeling aweful. This is extremely hard to explain, but it is the worst feeling when it happens & not knowing what exactly it is makes it worse. I may start to have numbness in my fingers, particularly my pinkie on my left hand. Then, its almost as if I can feel the blood running through my veins. I often have toe cramping, to the point that my toes will curl on top of the one in front of it (hopefully not the onset of arthritis). Recently I had a kidney infection & also still notice my urine having a stronger smell. I get what my eye doctor told me was migraines in my eyes (temporary blind spots that last for up to hours) along with regular migraines about once or twice a month. So, after having a "spell" this morning, I was talking with one of the assistants @ the dentist office I work in. The first question she asked me was if I was on birth control. She then proceeded to tell me about a 17yo daughter of a friend of hers. This girl had been having dizzy spells & many of the problems that I myself have been experiencing for months. She was found on her bedroom floor after suffering a major stroke. After arriving @ Children's hospital in St. Louis, Mo, & researching the situation, they found the stroke was caused by Yaz. Also, the family was told that this is becoming more common with women taking this particular birth control. I was shocked to hear this, because after I read about this drug, I found that this may be the problem that is causing all of my problems. Apparently your doctor is also supposed to have your potassium levels checked after the 1st month of using this drug. Also, if you suffer from hypothroidism, this is not the pill for you. Both of these things I was unaware of. So, back to my question...Can all of this be side effects? I will not continue to take Yaz & I am calling to schedule some blood & urine tests with my MD. I talked with my Obgyn's office today & expressed my concern-they basically laughed @ me though. They told me that it is not common to have these side effects & that they would have taken it off the market if indeed it was causing this severe of reactions. Please let me know that I am not crazy & that this may be the answer to these aweful "spells".

Thanks for your time & I look forward to your reply,
Elizabeth