Yaz and Weight Gain: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Peg...
• April 9, 2021

For Acne "PRO: very clear skin, didn't experience any hair loss or anything. CON: weight gain and lack of energy/enthusiasm. I was 18 when my skin suddenly flared up (after having pretty good skin all of high school). It was awful. I was up late at night on YouTube and Google looking for advice. I was first on Merina birth control pill for about a year. It cleared my skin fairly well, but I gained so much weight. And I was shocked because my whole life my friends have envied how I can eat whatever rubbish I like and not put on a stitch of weight. That was me. Twig with no breasts. I switched to YAZ hoping to lose weight. The transition was smooth, but I continued to gain weight. 20 kg. I'm 24 now, and I'm too scared to switch pills because of all the reviews I read. I went off the pill for 9 months, and my skin hit me hard again. My energy was back, though I felt so alive and so enthusiastic. The pill makes me a zombie. And I lost 6 kg with no lifestyle change! But my skin... So I went back to YAZ."

• Anonymous
• February 4, 2011

For Birth Control "Since I work at an OB-GYN office, I'm somewhat of a birth control connoisseur. I was on Yaz for a year before switching over to Beyaz with folate. In the entire time I've been taking these pills, I've only had three periods even though I take the placebo pills. Also, I haven't experienced a single one of the bad side effects like I've had with other pills. No weight gain, no tenderness, no periods, no crazy anger, and my sex drive has improved 100% since I was on NuvaRing before. I rate Yaz an A plus!"

• BP5...
• August 12, 2017

For Acne "I have been on Yaz for 3 months. I switched from Diane, in the hopes my skin would improve. I'm 28 and still have congested skin, and I am just over it. Nothing changed by moving over to this pill EXCEPT the fact that I've gained 4 kilos in just 3 months. For my entire 20's, I've weighed, give or take a kilo here and there. My eating habits have not changed, and neither has my exercise routine, so Yaz is all I can put it down to. 4 kilos may not now sound like much, but it felt like it went on overnight, so it's all been a bit of a shock."

• Anonymous
• October 13, 2009

For Birth Control "While effective as birth control, I had some bad side effects. I took Yaz for three years and had an increasing number of issues. All the issues I contributed to something other than Yaz until reading some forums where people were having similar problems. Some side effects I experienced were weight gain, severe depression, nightmares, severe migraines, and heartburn. Today my doctor switched me to Aviane. I will take my first pill in about fifteen minutes, so I hope that it works for me. I think everyone needs to remember that each person's body chemistry is different, so each type of medication will affect everyone differently. I think it's pretty much trial and error to find the perfect pill for your body."

• Shi...
• July 29, 2009

For Birth Control "I have been on Yaz for almost 5 months. Every month, my doctor told me to try to wait one more month that my body would adjust. It has caused me to have extreme anxiety, gain weight, and severe depression. My poor boyfriend has had to deal with me for the past couple of months and I'm nothing but depressed. But it has been great for pregnancy reasons. I'm only with one person, so it's my only birth control, and so far, so good there."

• DJa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2020

For Birth Control "I've been on Yaz for four months and am about to get off of it. It hasn't made a difference in my acne (which was slight), and I've noticed some weight gain. I work really hard to maintain my weight with regular workouts and eating well. I hadn't changed anything in my lifestyle yet have been gaining weight, so I can definitively attribute my weight gain to this pill! And no, it is not water weight; I literally do not fit into my slacks for work. I've also had a lot of breast tenderness along with my breast size increasing - which I do not like at all. But I will say that this pill drastically decreased my period in length and bleeding. This pill has not been terrible for me. If it weren't for the weight gain, I would stay on it."

• HGa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 3, 2018

For Acne "I am currently in my 6th month of taking Yaz, and if I'm honest, my acne has gotten worse. Worse than what it was prior to starting Yaz. I am so disappointed as I went on to Yaz with high hopes. I have cystic acne all around my chin and my forehead, not to mention my skin and hair are oilier than ever, which doesn't make sense as Yaz is supposed to decrease the body's oil production. I am at a point where I am about to seek help from a dermatologist. Aside from Yaz not having a single positive impact on my acne, it has been great otherwise. No nasty side effects such as weight gain, headaches, nausea, etc. I am willing to keep going with Yaz until the new year, but if no change is seen by January, I will be changing pills."

• Anonymous
• September 11, 2014

For Birth Control "From the experience of taking Yaz for about two years. Advantages: no pain at PMS, less bleeding, scheduled period, for sale in most of the countries. Disadvantages: caused me to gain weight (about 3 kg) for nearly two years, although there might be other reasons."

• Ver...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 8, 2020

For Birth Control "I started taking Yaz for my extremely painful periods. I got on birth control when I was 14 because my periods were so heavy and painful that I was practically paralyzed for the first two days. I tried a countless number of birth controls and also Nexplanon, which made me gain 20 kilos, got aches for the first time in my life, gave me a nonstop period for three years, and I became very irritable and mean. I got on Yaz to help with my weight gain and emotional issues as well as my painful and long periods, and it seemed to clear up my aches, and I started losing weight, but after taking it for over six months, I’ve started to get little bumps around my chin, and I’m very emotional. My periods are shorter but extremely painful again. And I’m having a lot of nausea when I’m on my period now and have also been experiencing memory loss."

• cee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 18, 2018

For Birth Control "I was so scared of going on birth control because I didn't want to gain weight and also wanted to prevent pregnancy. My skin has gotten spotless clear, and my weight is the same (unless I wait for my withdrawal bleeding, then I wait 3 days after my period to go back on it), but it ranges from 98-101, and it really hasn't affected it! I love this pill. Yaz has regulated my cycles and reduced my PMDD symptoms such as bloating, acne, etc. No mood swings. The only reason why it's an 8/10 is because my skin broke out the first 2 weeks, but after that it's clear as day."

• lau...
• February 3, 2018

For Birth Control "So far, so good! I've been on this pill for about three months now, and the only side effects I had were nausea within the first few weeks of taking the pill and an increase in boob size (not complaining). I previously struggled with weight gain with other brands of the pill, as well as heart palpitations, mood swings, and severe bloating. My skin has never looked better on Yaz, too!! People have said it's glowing. I loooove Yaz!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 12, 2021

For Birth Control "This pill was great with helping my acne and my cramps. My skin became really clear, and overall, my periods were a much better experience on this pill. Unfortunately, the cons outweighed the pros. I’m not the type to ever have panic attacks, I never have anxiety really, but ever since the pill, I had the worst anxiety attacks out of nowhere. It made me extremely paranoid. I’ve been off the pill ever since, and I feel so much better, I never had another panic attack. I also gained a lot of weight on this pill, but when I stopped, the weight shedded off slowly, and I’m back to normal now!"

• Anonymous
• October 12, 2011

For Birth Control "I was on Yaz for about 6 months about 2 years ago and loved it. It made my skin great, I lost weight, controlled my crazy mood swings, and totally increased my sex drive. I was put on it because I had gotten pregnant on a different pill. The only reason I stopped was to try the NuvaRing, which was the worst idea ever. I stopped that, and for whatever reason, the doctor didn't put me back on Yaz, just a different generic of something else that made me lose libido, gain weight, get acne, everything bad. Then I decided to stop taking birth control altogether to try and get pregnant. Didn't work, still all bad mood swings and acne, but found out about polycystic ovarian syndrome. Going back on Yaz tomorrow, the only thing that keeps me from being crazy."

• Anonymous
• August 19, 2009

For Birth Control "I have been on Yaz for 3 years, and my experience has been very positive. I have very light, short periods. I have gained no weight and have no issues with acne. Yaz has been a great experience for me, personally, and I have a lot less to worry about every month because of it."

• Anonymous
• October 24, 2011

For Birth Control "I love Yaz. I have been on Yaz for about 3 years now. I was originally on the off-brand of Ortho Tri-Cyclen and hated it! I became someone I didn't know, I was moody, I would cry for no reason, no matter what part of my cycle I was in. I had absolutely no sex drive! Now I am on Yaz, and I feel like myself, I have a normal sex drive, and I haven't gained any weight. I haven't had any issues with Yaz. My periods are short and light and easy. Best birth control pill I have ever been on!"

• Anonymous
• August 26, 2009

For Acne "I have to tell you I have struggled with acne since I was 13. I'm 34 now and am clear and happy. It took about 60 days before I noticed a difference, it's wonderful. My side effects are larger, tender breasts, not such a big deal, and I have gained weight. I've always been small, and I'm at 118 now, my biggest, but I think I can deal with it. Love the clear face too much to go off the pill. I suppose if I continue to gain weight, I'll look for other acne options."

• 000...
• February 12, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm 24 years old, healthy, and known for my fitness regime. I've been taking Yaz for three weeks now, and it is horrible. I have a history of mental health issues, and this medicine made me severely depressed and suicidal. I lost all interest in my activities, and it is hard for me to talk to people anymore. I also gained a little weight, got hives, and regularly have stomach pains now. I'm not sure if I should continue with this medicine. I'm going to talk to my doctor. But I know medicine doesn't necessarily work the same for everyone, so I wanted to share my experience. Talk to your doctor about the risks before taking Yaz."

• Anonymous
• July 30, 2010

For Birth Control "I would have to say that Yaz has been by far the best birth control pill I've tried. No weight gain, no depression, I have tons of energy, I still have my sex drive, and no crazy out-of-control mood swings. It's worth a try. But no birth control pill is going to work the same for everyone. I recommend NEVER doing the generic brands, they are slightly different, which if you're sensitive to birth control pills like me, you will notice a difference. Yaz changed my life and made my PMDD a lot better."

• Ima...
• October 19, 2010

For Birth Control "I was on Yaz for a year. I have to say overall I loved it. I didn't really have any mood swings that were out of the ordinary for me, no spotting or weight gain, no problems at all really. Except, shortly before I got off it and switched, I got a blood clot in my right arm. It was very painful. I am a smoker and knew the risk, but I loved Yaz so much that I was willing to stay on it. I switched at the request of my husband. For whatever reason, the blood clot did not scare me, and it went away on its own. But I am yet again switching my pill because what I was switched to after Yaz is just not cutting it."

• Fem...
• October 27, 2011

For Birth Control "Before Yaz, I was on Levlen (for three months). During that time, I developed cysts on my ovaries, extremely heavy periods, and awful cystic acne on my chin. I also gained some weight. My doctor suggested Yaz; however, I wanted to do some of my own research into this medicine. The Internet provided horrific reviews of this drug. I became so scared of Yaz before I'd even tried it! Eventually, my doctor convinced me to give it a go (with some free sample sheets-it's not cheap!), and my goodness, it is the best thing I've ever done. I've been on Yaz for six months now, and I can honestly say the positives greatly outweigh any negatives. My periods regulated, the cysts disappeared (shrank), and my acne cleared (in 3 to 4 months; it was very bad)."

• Anonymous
• January 20, 2010

For Menstrual Disorders "I was on Yaz for 8 months. My periods were lighter, shorter, and I had minimal spotting. I had cramps that only lasted for 30 min or so. I did experience side effects though, such as my boobs felt full and swollen. I gained some weight, had cravings for big meals, and became emotional at random times. Towards the end, I experienced sharp pains in my boobs which resulted in finding benign cysts. A month after I got off of it, I lost 10 lbs but had to get my gallbladder removed for stones & gallbladder disease."

• lak...
• November 23, 2009

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "My doctor started me on Yaz about a month and a half ago for my PMDD disorder. I do not have the weight gain that I would get every month 10 days before my period, and mood swings and the overwhelming feeling of unattractiveness 10 days before my period went away. One side effect that was odd was insomnia and only one panic attack. I'm not sure if the insomnia or panic attack is related to Yaz because I had both 3 to 4 years ago, but it went away. I am 35 years old and have never used the pill before taking Yaz."

• Sam...
• November 30, 2019

For Birth Control "I took Yaz from age 16 to 27, 11 years. It made me gain a little weight. For the past couple of years, I experienced brain fog and memory loss, and my sex drive was nonexistent. But other than that, Yaz worked fine for me; no cramps, no acne, super regular period, no PMS, no migraines. However, after 11 years of pumping pretty high doses of estrogen and progesterone (in this case, drospirenone) into my body, I started to ask myself if it is dangerous in the long run... especially because of the memory issues, the brain fog, etc. So I switched to a hormonal IUD recently (containing progesterone only and no estrogen), and so far I like it... I don't have to remember to take the pill, and the dose of hormones is 100 times lower on my IUD than with Yaz. I think it is fine for a limited time span, but you should definitely look into other contraceptive methods; there are more than you think :) also, Yaz is expensive (10€/month)."

• Anonymous
• March 12, 2011

For Menstrual Disorders "I have been taking Yaz for 4 years, due to an irregular cycle related to ovarian cysts. I am pleased that my periods are shorter, and there is absolutely no cramping. It has helped alleviate hormonal migraines, and my skin has never been more clear. Prior to birth control, my cycle was completely irregular, such as skipping months altogether, and it was frustrating being so unpredictable. Now, I know exactly when my period is coming. The only negatives: I did gain a little weight, and it is expensive since I don't have insurance."

• Mel...
• June 2, 2016

For Birth Control "I was put on Yaz and then the lower dosage of it, so in total I have been on one form or the other for about 5 months now. I thought I was losing my mind until reading more about this b/c. I gained about 12 pounds (all in my boobs, thighs, love handles, and stomach) as I eat a ton now. I actually am starting to feel like I'm falling into depression again, I'm always ready to snap, and I'm in a constant state of exhaustion. I'm so glad to have read on this page and others that it is all due to side effects. (I also was going through another med change and blamed that, but the side effects have nothing in common with the symptoms I have.) I am dropping this tonight. I'd rather have the horrible periods I was dealing with than these side effects."