Yaz - depression, anxiety, loss of libido

Yes, this is the story of my life, too! I'm so thankful for this board! I've been on YAZ for about 2 and a half years, too. I am 21, I got married in July to my husband so as of now we've been married for almost 7 months. My libido is absolutely nonexistent. It tears me apart, I couldn't understand what on earth was wrong with me. I was having so many issues with Yaz (extreme spotting, crazy periods, insane mood swings...all after being on the pill for a long time!) that about five months ago I requested to be switched to Yasmin, thinking that would help. Well, it completely annihilated my libido. I switched back to Yaz immediately, but I think the damage was done. The only time I feel even slightly aroused is around my period, and even then it's a struggle for me to get excited in the bedroom.



This isn't natural for me at all, before Yaz I was always on fire for my husband (then boyfriend). For the past few months he's thought that I don't love him anymore or that he isn't performing well. It breaks my heart!! I've been getting so frustrated this month already that I've cried hysterically in the bedroom because I didn't know what else to do. I went on Yaz for PMDD (or what I thought was PMDD), and though I think it might have worked initially, it's backfired on me and I'm more of an emotional mess than ever. AND I spotted for an entire month last cycle--after being on Yaz for over 2 years! I am stopping this Pill today, I can't take it anymore. It's messing up my life!!!!!

This is a bit unusual for me, since I am a guy, to post in a thread whom the majority are woman, but I am on the receiving end of the side-effects of Yaz. My girlfriend was taking it for about a year, when her mood started changing for the worse: short temper, decreased sex drive, and just paranoia. She has been off of it for about a month, and she IS getting better, but it scares me to death that she MIGHT not get much better. I read the first few pages, and didn't see anything to really clear my mind; who has gone off of it, and gone back to their absolute normal selves?
Any reassurance would really put a damper on my increasing paranoia and fears with this situation.

Thank you very much!

nats38 wrote:

rvdlzmk wrote:

reading all of these posts made me feel two different things:

1. relieved knowing I am not the only one in the world feeling this, and immediately after-

2. VERY UPSET! Are there ANY doctors reading all of this??? I mean there are posts from TWO years ago!! How is it possible that in a first world country they decide to give women all these hormones without even doing a background check on our hormone levels! Do you realize we are being treated as lab rats?? they are just experimenting on us!!!

yeah, i'm on Yaz right now... which may explain my evident mood swings.

Is there anybody out there who can let the rest of us know how did you feel after dropping the Yaz pill?? Any better??

I had the exact same feelings after being on it for 5 months. I stopped taking it 3 months ago, and unfortunately, I don't feel much better. The moodiness is mostly gone, but I still feel depressed and I still question my relationship a lot (even though I have an amazing boyfriend). Hopefully, you will start to feel better, but I don't. I am hoping I start feeling like myself again soon. It is supposed to take 3 months to get out of your system. Good luck

did you ever start to feel better?

I am 21 years old and have always been a very happy and outgoing person. In the past few months, I have become very depressed. I started feeling lonely and freaked out if I was alone for more than a few hours. I cried at the dumbest things and although I knew my reasons for crying were irrational, I couldn't stop myself. My boyfriend and I fought constantly because I was picking fights and crying all the time. My self esteem dropped and I became convinced that he was going to break up with me. After reading the posts on this site, I contacted my doctor immediately.
After speaking with doctors, I found out that this is VERY common. If you are feeling depressed, and you are on Yaz, chances are if you discontinue your use and get some medical attention, you will be back to your normal self. I wish I knew this sooner because I have been taking POISON every night, and then wondering why I was so miserable. Even if you are not depressed, I strongly advise you to get off Yaz anyway, before you end up like me. I am currently taking anti-depressants and it may take months before I am back to my old "self."

My first period came at the age of 11, My normal menstrual cycle was for 10 days with heavy bleeding, painfully cramps, back pain and swollen breast. Ive been on and off birth control since 16 to control and lessen the bleeding as well as cramps. My first negative experience with birth control was when I was 21 and decided to use the birth control "The Patch" . After four months on the patch I became pregnant and believe me no fault on my own. I stop taking birth control soon after that. In 2008, at th age of 25, I started to date my, now, boyfriend. And we decided we should take birth control. My boyfriend's sister ,who works at gyn office, advised me to take YAZ. The first month was what I expected: Irregular bleeding, nausea and swollen breast thought that month. Five months into Yaz my period became light ( I would bleed for only three days) and there was slight weight gain but nothing extreme. My 9th month on Yaz my period stopped, which first alarmed me. I took a pregnancy test which came out negative and also talked to my gyn, but he reassured me that was normal. In 2009 My boyfriend and I decided to move in together, this will be my 1 year and 2 months on YAZ. I noticed in September of 2009 I started to feel extremely sad, where everything my boyfriend said and even watching sappy movies made me cry. Trust me when I say, I am the girl who laughs at the sappiness of movies, so this was unusual for me. Since October of 2009 and as now, my libido decreased dramatically. I have intention in sex and/or any physical contact. This caused my boyfriend and I to fight, alot and he blames himself. At first I was thinking it was due to the move and stress of living on our own. But these emotions are not my own, the sadness, the depression, the nightmares and no sex drive. I'm trying extremely hard to become sexually with my boyfriend but when "in the act" there is no feelings and I never reach a climax ( And there was never a problem before). I like taking birth control. I like being in control. I like having the choice to decided when we should become pregnant. But I want my life back as well as a sex life back. Can anyone give suggestions. PLEASE HELP !!!!

I have only been on this medication for FOUR days, and I am extremely depressed and anxious. I have had multiple panic attacks. I've never felt this helpless in my life. Four years ago I suffered some mild anxiety, but had been fine, very happy in general until this week. Now with Yaz, I really feel like I am losing it. I am stopping tomorrow. These last couple of days have turned me off of birth control completely. I'm scared to ever try one again. DO NOT TAKE THIS BC!!!!! I really cannot believe my doctor would prescribe this c**p. Thankfully, she gave me a sample pack for the first month, so I have not wasted any money on a pill that literally makes me want to kill myself. I am pissed. This is not safe! If I hadn't googled this, I really don't know what state I would be in three months from now!

Reading all of these posts had made me feel so much better! Before birth control, I was prone to anxiety, but it was pretty minor. Though I might have one to two panic episodes a year I could generally just talk myself out of feeling bad, take deep breaths and go back to normal the next day. I was happy and loved being social! Since going on Yaz I have no sex drive, have had an increase in anxiety attacks, which are also more severe now, and have been depressed and withdrawn for almost six months now. It's gotten to the point where I feel that I have nothing to offer people, I've lost interest in all of my hobbies, and I can't go to parties with my friends due to anxiety (it's always been triggered by clausterphobia/crowded spaces). My boyfriend of over a year actually asked me if he should cancel our vacation with friends because he didn't think I'd be able to cope and I'd be depressed and withdrawn the whole time.

Although i'm not entirely sure if Yaz is the cause of all of my frustrations, all of this began within a few weeks of beginning the pill and has escalated since then. I'm finishing this month's pill pack and then I'm quitting birth control all together for awhile and hopefully getting some counselling.

I'll let y'all know if I improve :-) Good luck to any and all of you who are having these problems, I know how brutal and debilitating they can be and I wish you all the best! DONT WAIT SIX MONTHS OR MORE TO GO OFF THE PILL! I hugely regret waiting this long to get help.

I've been on the pill for 3 years and it's awful I'm stopping; it makes me crazy and too self-conscious. However for all the people that are having trouble getting over the depression when stopping try exercising a lot or just when you are feeling down. The exhaustion takes your mind off you depression, the endorphins make you feel better, and it gets your heart rate going to beat that lethargic feeling. It's honestly the only way I can maintain a semblance of sanity with this pill.

I've been on Yaz for about two years now-previously on Yasmin which I thought was causing breast tenderness, although dr doubted it because I had been on that for two years - he said new side effects wouldn't just 'appear' like that. I'm pretty sure Yaz is the reason behind the crappy way I've felt for the last couple of years - depressed, anxiety ridden, tired all the time, short-tempered, ZERO libido - Have thought this for a while but only came to a solid conclusion after reading this message board. Used to think it was me going crazy - I hated my job so I quit, I hated not working and feeling perpetually lazy, thought I was just lonely and stressed after moving to a new state and starting grad school, started having a self-confidence problem (which was totally new). But I don't have anything to feel crappy about when I really think of it - Happily married, great set of family and friends, pursuing my dream, not totally broke (for a grad student, at least), enjoying school and living in a new city - but, there's a constant cloud over my head that causes me to cry at bizarre things, never allowing me to feel 100% ever. I'm pretty sure its the pill. All the lawsuit commercials now stress the physical side effects, not the mental ones, but after reading all these stories I'm pretty sure there is something to it. I'm just afraid to go off- had HORRIBLE cycles- heavy flow, debilitating cramps, backache, headache, nausea, etc. Is there anything to help with this stuff besides bc?? Also worried I won't get back to my 'normal' self after quitting the pill......

This has happened to me also. I'm 17 years old and was put on the pill to deal with severe pms symptoms. So I went to the doctor, who told me about a "new" kind of pill that worked well and that he wanted me to try. It was Yaz, of course. He told me that any mild symptoms I got would even out within a month. So I went on it, and my symptoms went down almost immediately. But within a few days I was stressing out over schoolwork that I used to soar by, and I had fights with my parents almost daily that often ended in tears. Now this sounds like your "typical teenager" kind of stuff... but it wasn't for me. I'm good in school, and my parents and I get along quite well. The fact was, that I just wasn't myself. It got worse because I couldn't sleep (I am in bed for 8 hours every night, but I could never get more than 4 or 5 hours of actual sleep), and because of that I got even MORE moody and stressed. After that I started to get paranoid and angry. I hadn't even gone a month yet. I decided that it was too much, and booked an appointment with a new doctor. This one was female. She actually listened to my problems, and told me to go off the pill for at least a month. I also got a prescription for a new pill, which is a brand that has very limited accounts of depression symptoms. Personally... I'm going to wait a couple more months before I go on any other pill, just so I can get back into my natural rhythm again. I'll take cramps over depression any day.

I've been on Yaz for 4 months and I feel horrible! For the first couple of months everything was okay, I had light periods, no PMS symptoms what so ever and didnt have too many side effects. But as i began my fourth month I began to feel extremely anxious. I think everything is either going to blowup or I'm going to die. I have to go around the house shutting off all the lights and any electrical items becasue I'm so scared. At first I thought I was going crazy because mental illness runs in the family, but after reading these stories I'm convinced it's the Yaz and I'm going to stop taking it right now!

I have been taking YAZ for 3 weeks now. I have had my period for 21 days along with constant cramping, muscle aches, moodiness, anger, depression and no desire to do the things i used to love. I have no desire to be with my boyfriend of 2 years anymore and i feel tired all the time. YAZ has been the worst experience for me. I am 20 years old and just starting out a new job, however this past month has been hell for me working the late hours always feeling exhausted.

Going to the doctor ASAP to get off of YAZ!

I had been on a generic brand of Yaz for around a year. It was my junior-senior year in high school. My boyfriend at the time, proposed to me, but even through that, night after night, I would lay in my bed and wonder why I loved him, although I knew the answer, and I knew that I would always love this man. Throughout this year, I would start to bleed even though I wasn't taking the period pills at this time, and these "periods" would last weeks, almost a month. I finally had had it with the pill, and I'm off it now. Thanks to a condition I have, I'm always a bit moody, but NEVER, after I've been off the pill, have I doubted my love for my fiancee.

Thank God I'm off that stuff.

I was on Yaz for about 6 months, only to get rid of my god awful period cramps. Over the last couple of months before I went off of it, I started feeling anxious all the time, having panic attacks after panic attacks, feeling that I was going crazy and I had no clue why. At first I thought it was because of all the crazy stressful situations I had to go through last year, but when Summer came, I went on a peaceful vacation and still kept having panic attacks, feeling out of breath, and having my heart racing like it would pound right out of my chest. I also felt a bit depressed, moody, and very frightened of doing anything out of the ordinary, like I was developing an anxiety disorder.

I finally realized all of this happened because of Yaz, and went off the pill. It's been about 3 weeks and a half now, and I'm still having anxiety episodes every now and then. But unlike before, I feel much better when I'm NOT panicking - I feel normal, and happy, I hadn't felt this way ever since this all started.

I recommend you to stop taking this pill as soon as you experience the first side effects, as it gets progressively worse over time. I've been there, and it's terrible. I felt like I was going out of my mind.

I'm going to my OB/GYN in a few days, and tell her all about this. Hopefully she'll take it into account next time she recommends anyone else to take it. This pill made me a complete mess!

~~~~~LADIES THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO HORMONAL BIRTH CONTROL PILLS~~~~Called the INTER UTETINE DEVICE or IUD

An alternative to hormonal birth control is an Inter uterine device also called an IUD, they have been used for years yet a lot of women have never heard of them.

I have been unable to tolerate any hormonal forms of birth control and have had two IUD's inserted without problems or pregnancy, they are as effective a the pill.

It is a device that is folded flat and inserted into the uterus throught the cervix by your gyno.
It works by stopping the egg from implanting in your uterus.
It sounds a lot worse that it is, it is relatively painless and lasts for up to 5 years.
It is only recommended if you are in a monogomous relationship as if you get a STD while you have an IUD it can damage your fertility.

There are some side efects but at least they are not of an EMOTIONAL or SEXUAL nature.

It would definately be worth asking your doctor /gyno about as it sounds like a lot of women are subjected to years of suffering side affects from the pill without being offered this convenient, affordable and readily available alternative and that makes me angry.

~~~~~~~~~~HERE IS MY EXPERIENCE WITH YAS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I started feeling bad a few DAYS after taking YAz for PMDD. I stopped yesterday after reaching the stage of feeling suicidal.

I had been taking it for ONLY 8 DAYS!!!

I have severe long term depression that worsens before and during my period, however I am used to feeling depressed and like I cannot go on, but I have NEVER FELT AS BAD AS I DID TAKING THIS POISON

I'm so angry my doctor, knowing my history which includes self harm and harm to others, for putting me on this c**p without investigating the possibility of it making me WORSE and a threat to myself and others.

I'm not a doctor but managed to ask the questions that let me to this website. Just goes to show they do not care about our health, we are simply being experimented on and I would not be surprised if they are getting financial rewards from the pharmacutical companies for perscribing drugs.