YAZ

[littledragon804]

Hi everyone,
Ok so I'm going to start taking YAZ it's a birth control pill my Gyno suggested..He's a GREAT doctor and basically said it's a new BC pill that is low estrogen, but contains drospirenone. He said it will in a sense "grab" a hold of the testosterone my body is producing and not let it "flow" throughout my body. He's also sending me to see the Cheif Reproductive Edno in Brigham and Womens in Boston. My question is has anyone tried YAZ, if so did you like it? And also, how are the side effects? I get nuaseas SO EASILY. any suggestions?

[Tish]

I just learned about Yaz by reading your post. I looked it up (www.yaz-us.com), and it seems to be just like Yasmin, but you take 24 active pills and 4 inert pills (to have a period), rather than the more traditional 21/7 cycle.

I took Yasmin for 3 months, and then later again for 1-1/2 years. I took the pills "noncyclically" (just took a few days off every couple months for a period), so in a sense, it was more similar to the Yaz regimen.

I've heard many women have many different experiences with Yasmin. My own experience was this:

Good:
1) It was the best BCP I've ever taken (probably tried about 12-20 over the years)!

2) Signficantly cleared my acne & reduced the hirsutism (hair)!

3) Probably due to the diuretic qualities, I'd weigh 6 pounds less while taking the pill (unfortunately the pounds would immediately return when I'd take a few days off to have a period every couple months).

4) I actually felt pretty good taking it. Stable. No ups-and-downs. Plus none of the usual BCP side effects like breast tenderness, sluggishness, and definitely no water retention.

The Bad:
1) I constantly felt dehyrdated, despite drinking huge amounts of water. I'd just pee/sweat out all the water - it's like the water wouldn't "stick" to me. This was really hard because I am a singer, and my voice was always dry. The only thing that seemed to help was drinking gatorade, which worried me because one is not supposed to have excessive potassium while on Yasmin.

2) Daily diarreah. At the time I didn't even realize this was Yasmin-related, I thought it was just good ol' IBS. But when I quit taking the pill my IBS-diarreah went back to occurring just a couple times per week, as opposed to daily. That's when I made the connection. I'm sure this contributed to the dehydration. (Sorry if this one was TMI)

3) Scalp hairloss. I know it seems counter-intuitive - an anti-androgen should help scalp hairloss, one would think. But it was a very specific (and very obvious) side effect for me. Both times I started Yasmin, my hair immediately began to fall out. Both times I quit, my hairloss slowed.

4) Quitting-rebound effect. After stopping the Yasmin, my acne/hirsutism slammed my body for about 3 months. It was awful. But it eventually evened out and now (about a year later) I'm about what I was before Yasmin.

Let us know how the Yaz works out. I do think it's a great idea (the "drsp" plus the 24/4 cycle). I hope it works well for you!

Take Care,
Tish

[littledragon804]

Thanks so much for all of that information. It really is helpfull. I can't generally take birth control pills becasue they make me so nauseas and vomit, to the point where I can't leave the house. The doc said it's usually not as bad with the YAZ. I am concerned about the hair loss...I have thinning hair on the sides , and when i was in basic training for the air force it got pretty bad, so i"m a little nervous about the hair loss side effect. :roll: I could go for the 6 pound loss though :lol: ..It's better than hearing you gained 6 pounds . And to know that it didn't make you retain water is a plus too..I guess everyone is different so i'll have to juyst suck it up and try it out. I'll def let you know how it makes me feel. I'm one of those people that have tried every pill imaginable, and the ring and patch included....so I'll be honest! :wink: Thanks again for the info...if anyone else has any info I'll take it! i find the info on these boards tend to be more accurate than anyhting the docs say!