yasmin birth control pill

[Aprilmarie52]

I went to the "girlie doctor" today and they prescribed me yasmin. As most of you know, I had a baby at the beginning of the year and I just recently stopped breast feeding. I wanted to go on some kind of birth control so gabby wont have a sibling anytime soon. I am scared about taking the pill. I was just wondering if anyone here had any experiences good or bad with yasmin.

thanks

[Jenn202]

I havent taken Yasmine in particular, but do take Loestrin and have been on it for 9 years now.... Loestrin is one of the lowest dose pills on the market.

I remember there was an "adjustment" period to it where I didnt feel well....nausea, and more fatigued but that went away after a while and now I love my pill..... I think it shelps tremendously with my symptoms b/c my hormones are much more predictable, and my periods are MUCH less severe and do not last as long.....

I am actually worried about ever having to off of it if I wanted kids b/c I dont know how I would feel without being on it.

I know everyone reacts differently to the pill...but if you find the right one I thik it can benefit you.

Good Luck

[cnm1]

I wouldn't recommend Yasmin to someone with a dysautonomia. It has a progesterone that is chemically related to a diuretic (spirolactone). It also has many more drug interactions that can cause a potassium imbalance. Not the right pill for POTS/OI. I am a nurse midwife at a large gyn clinic. Almost any other pill would be a better idea or consider the nuva ring - my patients love that.

Louise

[lalalisa]

For me Yasmin has been great! I reacted strongly to other birth control meds - I felt as if they actually changed my personality. (For example: I felt irritable and easily angered on Ortho Tri).

Hope you do well on it.

Lisa

[steph37822]

oops

[cnm1]

Wow

I am really surprised Yasmin is working out ok for both of you. I don't even like using it much for healthy patients. - too many drug interactions and concerns regarding potassium levels. But I guess it shows sometimes that you just have to try something to see how your body reacts. I would still urge caution - it you try it make sure to read the drug interactions which can mess up potassium levels.

Louise

[Sunfish]

april -

i don't have any experience with yasmin but do have a friend that swore by it; she doesn't have dysautonomia but had had issues with some other contraceptives & their side effects.

i take seasonale & prior to that took levlite - continuously - for POTS/OI/NCS reasons rather than birth control per se - but have done well on both. i had a small bit of nausea when i first started the levlite a few years ago but none when i restarted it (after trying to go off of it for a few months) and none when i switched to seasonale this past year. seasonale is a bit higher dosing than levlite & i was switched after having some issues with abnormal ovarian cysts.

anyway...i think that you've been pretty okay POTS/OI-wise, but maybe the BC will help you in that regard too as an added bonus?! for me it's part of the mix that helps me out....

louise, i think that you're right in it being an example of how vastly different we all react to different meds. but i do recall my doc saying yasmin wouldn't be a good thing for me to try when we were first looking at the options on my insurance list a few years ago....

good luck april!

melissa

[lalalisa]

Louise,

I did not mean to overlook your post. Thanks for the caution about drug interactions, etc.

It has worked well for me but it's good to know just in case.

Lisa

[Poohbear]

Yasmin has been GREAT for me; I have been unable to tolerate ANY OTHER bc pill. I have tried everything else and this one is actually helping.

AND, in my case, the extra rise in potassium keeps me from having to take potassium pills. It has actually helped me with three problems (cyst, migraine and low potassium).

I say try it if your Dr has prescribed it and see how you do and have your potassium checked every month until you feel comfortable that you are safe with it.

I've copied and pasted the below from the web. Hope it helps.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Yasmin

? Drospirenone may increase potassium in the body. The following list of conditions and medications may also affect potassium levels in the body. Do not take Yasmin without first talking to your doctor if you have or are taking:

? liver disease or a history of yellowing of the skin or eyes due to pregnancy or previous use of birth control pills;

? kidney disease;

? adrenal insufficiency;

? a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, others), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, Anaprox, others), and others;

? a potassium-sparing diuretic such as spironolactone (Aldactone, others), triamterene (Dyrenium, Dyazide, Maxzide, others), amiloride (Midamor, others), or eplerenone (Inspra);

? a potassium supplement such as Klor-Con, K-Dur, K-Tab, Kaon, others;

? an ACE inhibitor such as benazepril (Lotensin), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), enalapril (Vasotec), and others;

? an angiotensin II receptor antagonist such as candesartan (Atacand), losartan (Cozaar), telmisartan (Micardis), and others; or

? heparin.

? Also, do not take Yasmin without first talking to your doctor if you have

? had a stroke, heart attack, or blood clot;

? high blood pressure, angina, or heart disease;

? a bleeding or blood-clotting disorder;

? breast, uterine, or another hormone-related cancer; or

? undiagnosed, abnormal vaginal bleeding.

[Aprilmarie52]

thanks for all of the replies guys. I am going to call my cardio on tuesday and see what he thinks.

[DancingLight]

April,

I take Alesse without any problems--this is another low-dose option.

Do you know why your doctor suggested Yasmin? Sometimes they pick what's 'hot' at the time and it might not have had a lot to do with what was best for YOU.

Let us know what you decide to try!

Emily

[Aprilmarie52]

my dr said that it is what she uses for a lot of her patients. I am not sure what I am going to try. I am very gunshy about taking any new medications. Im sure you all can relate to that.

[Aprilmarie52]

bump

[ethansmom]

I haven't been able to tolerate any type of birth control pills since I've had POTS. They give me yeast infections that I cannot get rid of (I even went to a doc who specializes in candida, followed the candida diet, took anti-fungal meds and natural remedies, nothing worked short of stopping the pill altogether). That seems to be my only problem, but I ended up with a diaphragm instead, followed by two beautiful baby boys . I hope this pill ends up being POTS friendly for you!!

[Aprilmarie52]

thanks jess! I really hope that it works for me too. I talked with my cardiologist and he said that he thinks that yasmin will be fine. Hope you and the boys are doing well.