Drospirenone / ethinyl estradiol for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2009

"So far, I really like Yasmin. I had a mild problem with acne and serious mood swings. I was also having a significant amount of dark, coarse facial hair due to low amounts of estrogen. I've seen improvements in all three areas. I started taking Yasmin on the second day of my period, and by the third day, my period was gone. The only downer is that it makes me really tired. I'm always a little cranky because I'm sleepy. It seems as though Yasmin is good for a lot of other problems young women have, and it's just a plus that it prevents pregnancy."

• Mis...
• October 15, 2020

"I have been on Gianvi around 7 months now for PMDD. Prior to Gianvi, I had the copper IUD, which I didn't like. Every month, I would get suicidal depression before my period. I did the research and found out about PMDD. I started taking Gianvi, and my 1st month on it was the happiest I'd been in a while. I felt a lot more balanced and less stressed. Maybe it was a placebo effect because the following months weren't necessarily as great, but my PMDD was still WAY better. Last month, switched me to Loryna, which was making me feel so depressed and crazy, I stopped taking it after 2 weeks. After a lot of desperate searching, I found another pharmacy that carries Gianvi and am back on it. It has only been a few days, and I feel back to normal. I haven't had any negative effects, no weight gain, and if anything, my skin has improved. I know birth control isn't necessarily the most natural or healthy thing, but it is better than feeling suicidal every month. I have tried lots of different birth controls, and this is the only one I have liked."

• Gre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 13, 2021

"I've had a very positive experience with Yaz (Eloine in the UK), which has completely cleared up my previously debilitating PMDD. All of my symptoms have gone: the fatigue, nausea, difficulty concentrating, depression, anxiety, foggy-headedness, bloating, water retention, cravings, muscle aches, and insomnia. I've been taking it continuously for four months, and although for the first few weeks I noticed some of the side effects mentioned on the leaflet, such as tearfulness and breast swelling (also, I was hornier than usual!), these went and left me feeling really good. I don't notice a single side effect now, and I have more consistent energy and happiness. Also, no weight gain to speak of: I just had some fluctuations in water retention during the first month, and my shape has slightly changed (a little less fat on my stomach/more on my hips), but it's not extreme, and I feel good. I definitely recommend trying Yaz for PMDD, and I hope your experience is as good as mine!"

• you...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 3, 2013

"I took Gianvi for about a year for my PMDD. Since doing it, I noticed a very uplifting change in my mood and irritability. I was no longer aggressive, and I didn't burst into tears at least once a day before my period, so that is a definite improvement. I went off of it, changed to Loryna, and then changed back to Gianvi. Right now, I have horrible cystic acne from switching around my medicine, but it works wonders on my hormones, which to me is the important part."

• Vad...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 10, 2018

"I suffered with severe menstrual cramps and symptoms that put me in the hospital 3 times now. I started Nikki to see if it would help. I have no problems with this birth control at all, and I’ve been on it for over a year now! I was switched to Loryna for a time because my pharmacy stopped carrying Nikki, and it was nothing but awfulness those couple of months before I was switched back. I have no side effects, the energy I need, and motivation to get up and about. I’ve read lots of bad reviews about this medication, but I’ve had nothing but excellent experiences with this medication! I do wish they would stop slowly removing it from my pharmacies. I’ve had to switch between 4 different pharmacies to find it..."

• Aly...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 3, 2024

"I've been taking Nikki for about 10 months now. When I started to take it, I was completely terrified from reading all the reviews, scared of depression, scared of blood clots/stroke, nervous about weight gain. This has been amazing for me though. My depression hasn't gotten worse, if anything, it's helped because I had pretty severe PMDD where I would only have one good week a month and then I'd be depressed/a bit suicidal, and would get very physically sick from hormones. I take it continuously, although I've had to take a break every 3 months or so and skip through the placebo pills or I start spotting and cramping. But even so, PMDD is gone, I don't get sick from PMS hormones anymore, and I haven't had any bad side effects or issues. Very worth it and I highly recommend."

• sad...
• February 24, 2020

"This pill was great for the first couple of months. My acne cleared, which was a problem due to my PCOS, and my periods were finally regular. I could feel these mood swings coming on, but I felt like a demon. This all hit me full force after I passed the third month. I was irritated at the smallest things, zero libido, it was an out-of-body experience. My self-esteem plummeted to where I never wanted to even look at myself, severely depressed and anxious, which I have not struggled with in the past, and gained 15 pounds out of nowhere. I couldn’t go an hour without crying. One day I almost had to pull over while driving because I couldn’t breathe. The way these hormones hit me was a nightmare, I am never ever going back to the pill. I’ve done too much trial and error for this, it’s not worth my mental health/state of mind. One week off of it and I feel like myself again, thank goodness. Avoid Gianvi if you want to keep your brain the same!!!!"

• Anonymous
• August 20, 2019

"So I was put on this pill about 4 months ago because I had lost my period for over 9-10 months due to rapid weight loss, and I had done everything to try and get it back, so the gynecologist put me on Yaz to force me to get my period. I think the pill is great, I don’t really experience a lot of the side effects except for a little weight gain, which I don’t know is from not going to the gym consistently like I used to or from water retention. But I have noticed that my boobs have grown like 2 sizes bigger. I also get headaches once in a while, but that’s not a big deal."

• Abc...
• September 19, 2020

"I decided to take birth control to help with my PMDD; my anxiety and OCD would get much worse, and my depression would flare up, starting about 11 days before my period. I dreaded whenever I had a special event or work deadline due around that time of the month. So I decided to try birth control recently. My anxiety increased for a couple of weeks upon taking it, but this anxiety has leveled off and now I don’t notice it affecting my mood in a negative way at all. I have noticed no hair loss, weight gain, or acne, thankfully. I have been taking Nikki (generic) for about two months now, and I’m amazed by how I don’t have PMS anymore! (I decided, upon the doctor's recommendation, to take the pill continuously-skipping placebo pills-so I don’t have periods anymore; so this may be why I don’t have the PMS). Only negative side effect: breakthrough bleeding about 10 days during the first month, but it’s been much lighter and less time this month."

• Anonymous
• December 6, 2011

"I have been on Yaz for 2 months now to fix my newly discovered hormonal imbalance. I felt the effects of the pill after a week. I am far more emotional and am seriously depressed. Major mood swings. On a happier note, my periods are regular and last 4 days with little cramping and little to no bloating. Above all, I do not feel myself. Once my 3-month trial is done, I'm definitely going to explore my options and steer away from birth control. I do not feel myself anymore."

• Sma...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 28, 2020

"This medication is awful! First three months I broke out terribly in my chest and had severe headaches. Figured I needed time to adjust. Then last month, I started getting bad pain in my ovaries-Yaz had caused a huge cyst-never had it before. Required surgical intervention. Not to mention, my periods came whenever, wasn't even a period though, just bloody discharge and horrible cramps that sent me to the ER once because they made me vomit for four days straight. OBGYN pulled me off of it ASAP!"

• Can...
• April 28, 2018

"I started taking Yaz about 6 months ago. I suffer from very severe and painful PMDD and periods (I bloat for like 10 days before my period), have had a fibroid removed, ovarian cyst ruptures, etc., etc. (just bad luck overall with my reproductive system). Docs have put me on a lot of pills in the past. I have to say Yaz is the only pill that has ever helped with my physical symptoms. But it has also had the most crippling effect on my mental health. I've experienced sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, and worthlessness like never before. I cry at the drop of a hat (not normal for me), I can't focus (and I'm in grad school). If my boyfriend doesn't text me back for a couple of hours, I'm basically on my deathbed. It's crazy. I really thought I was going super crazy, but I'm pretty sure it's this pill. I'm going to see a doc about it to see what they have to say. It sucks what we have to go through - choosing between pain and discomfort or damaged emotional health!"

• Hol...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 21, 2012

"I loved Gianvi. I took it for about 5 years and noticed minimal side effects. I feel like birth control pills really help stabilize people who have hormonal mood problems to begin with; but if they are fine to begin with, they throw it off balance and cause side effects. I was not fine to begin with. Very irregular, heavy, painful periods, hormonal acne, and PMDD. Gianvi stabilized me. One thing I did notice was my hair growth pretty much stopped for some reason, which was weird. But that was the only side effect. Cleared my skin."

• Tan...
• May 22, 2010

"I started taking Yasmin when I had a continuous period of bleeding for 2 1/2 months. I took it for 2 years until Ocella came out as the generic form of Yasmin. I had no complaints, and it helped regulate all my symptoms and made that time of the month more bearable for me. I could get out of bed and actually function the way I normally do. The only downside I had to taking this is I did develop gallbladder disease and ended up having an emergency gallbladder removal. I would recommend that anyone who takes this watch what they are eating too and limit lots of fatty foods."

• Anonymous
• November 12, 2009

"I took Yaz because of my problems with tiredness and heavy mood swings. While on the pill, I noticed it made them 1,000,000 times worse. However, it did make my periods light, which was super nice for a change. I took this pill for only 3-4 months, then had to switch because my boyfriend and family were sick of me being moody all the time."

• Pra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 13, 2018

"On my 2nd day of Yaz, and I’m already quitting it tomorrow. It’s currently 4:09 in the morning, and I haven’t slept since taking the pill 2 days ago. My heart's been beating rapidly since I started, and having palpitations."

• emm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2021

"It’s been 2 to 3 years since I have had PMDD. I had terrible anxiety, crying spells, I felt rejected, and I had insomnia every month and never really realized it was PMDD. About 6 months ago, I talked to my mom about it, and she told me it was probably PMDD because she had the same thing. Yaz was the solution for her. So, I tried it with hope it would work for me. Unfortunately, it didn’t help me. I believe it even made it worse, I had anxiety panics during the night, which I rarely had before. Also, it really affected my libido, and I never wanted to have sex with my boyfriend. I was really feeling desperate and feeling that nothing would work for me until I tried the antidepressant Citalopram. For me, it was life-changing, I take 10 mg every day, and I have almost no more symptoms of PMDD. It has worked really great for me. So, I would say try Yaz first, because it worked for my mom and it worked for a lot of women, and if it doesn’t work, try Citalopram! It is really life-changing for me :)"

• Anonymous
• December 2, 2011

"I have been taking Yaz for roughly around 7 years, it was a miracle pill for my PMDD when I first started taking it. Over the past 3-4 years, I have not been feeling up to par. Severe allergies, fatigue, mouth ulcers, no interest in sex, moodiness, and stomach pain are just a few of the things I had been experiencing. After a bout of moodiness and having to be talked to twice at work (this never happens, I pride myself on my work ethic), I finally decided to check into the background and rare side effects of Yaz. I have been experiencing all of them! I'm not suggesting this will happen to everyone, but if you start to not quite feel yourself, it never hurts to check into your medication's background. I will stop taking Yaz!"

• kay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 7, 2023

"Yaz literally saved my life. I'd been suffering from PMDD for several years without knowing, and after a lot of digging later, I discovered I might have it. I genuinely could not live the way I was anymore and was about to end my life. I was desperate for anything to make it so I could breathe again (I was so incredibly depressed and anxious I'd have panic attacks for hours every day, multiple times a day, and couldn't get out of bed to go to the bathroom. I couldn't stand in the shower without sobbing, etc., for 3 weeks straight each month. It was impossible to function. I tried this. It took about 2 months for me to start feeling alive. I have to be very rigid about taking this at the same time every day, if I am an hour or two off for 2 days in a row, all my symptoms come back in full swing and usually stay for at least a month straight, and there is nonstop bleeding/spotting. The only side effect I have experienced so far (it has been about 13 months) are minor headaches every once in a while. It saved me."

• Anonymous
• August 15, 2008

"I took Yaz for 6 months with good results, but not complete relief of my PMDD. Due to an insurance goof-up, I was unable to get my medication for 2 months (it is more than I can afford out of pocket). During those 2 months, I realized how much it had been helping me. My periods were much lighter, and the bloating and tenderness were much worse when I was off of them. I'm back on Yaz now, and my doctor has combined it with Zoloft, so hopefully, I will be back to 'normal' soon."

• Cal...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 28, 2021

"Yaz completely gave me my life back. I had/have really bad PMDD that was affecting my life heavily. I wish PMDD was a more commonly known thing, it so easily gets brushed off as PMS or moodiness, as I did for about a year. I didn't know it existed until a few months ago, hence not looking for a cure. I think I'll take this forever, the improvement is unbelievable. PMDD is all but gone. Also worth mentioning, I add vitamin B6 in the PMS period, but it's definitely predominantly the Yaz that's fixed me."

• PMD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 15, 2023

"I have tried every single birth control out there, the depo shot, mini pill, ring, patch, sponge, you name it, I’ve tried it. They have all made me feel like I was losing my mind or would affect my moods severely. I gained weight on the depo, which didn’t help with my mental health issues. I finally saw a doctor and told them all of my concerns. They told me I was suffering from PMDD, and everything made sense. A couple of weeks before my period, I would turn into Wolverine. It wasn’t good for me or my family, especially my partner, because I would pick fights, literally for no reason. I have been on YAZ for one month now, and I was hesitant because of some of the negative reviews. But I took the risk and am so glad I did. I did not get my period, my acne is disappearing (I have severe bacne), I can speak calmly to my kids if they’re acting out, and I haven’t argued with my partner. I can sleep again! You just need to try everything until you find the perfect BC. It’s YAZ for me."

• KMA...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 19, 2023

"Typical disclaimer: all OCPs work differently for everyone, and PMDD is difficult to treat. Syeda was a decent solution for me, the only drawback being that if I wasn't extremely careful taking it at the same time, my symptoms could start breaking through, and my eventual period would be awful. I only stopped taking it to see if I could manage my symptoms on my own. I'm hesitant to recommend any OCP for PMDD, as, across the board, it's all trial by fire, but I can say that Syeda worked all right, with no major side effects or drawbacks. If you happen to be new to PMDD treatment and are nervous about the poor reviews birth control pills all have, don't fret! There are a ton of options, and everybody is different, for better or worse."

• tig...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2022

"I was a little nervous to start Yaz because I had a bad experience with Alesse years ago (it made my mood a lot worse). I started Yaz due to irregular periods and significant PMS symptoms. I take it with no breaks (no placebo pills) as per my gynecologist, and it has made a significant positive impact on my life. I had noticed that my mood is generally a lot more stable during pregnancy, and this is very similar since I do not ovulate. I'm happier, feel more even-keeled, and it has even increased my libido. I haven't noticed any side effects, and my weight has been stable (I'm on the 3rd pack currently)."

• Gog...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 9, 2013

"First off, I'd like to state that before I got on birth control, I had HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE cramps! I mean completely miserable! But after I got on Gianvi, my miserable, horrible cramps are gone. Yeah, I may have some minor pains here and there, but at least I can still function and make it to my classes! Also, I've noticed that my weight hasn't changed at all. I'm just happy that I don't become sad and miserable when my period comes. One negative would be that my sex drive has decreased. But hey, it is called 'birth control.'"