doc recomends this, says it'll go nice with spiro. just had horrible bcp expereince, so i'm a trifle apprehensive, but appearntly this one is less laden in side effects....

I had terrible Yaz side effects, but let me stress that it's not certain that you will have my experience. I tolerated Orthotricyclen pretty well for years, got off the pill for about a year and then went on Yaz. Also important to note is I got off Yaz after only 1.5 packs, so I wasn't on it long enough to see if any of this would get better or worse. My experience included:

Severe nausea (I read it should subside in the first few months, but I wasn't on it long enough to find out) I couldn't eat and lost several pounds.

terrible acne, worse than I've gotten in years. This was probably an initial break out and my skin would have eventually cleared up.

frequently more down in the dumps. Not depression or despair, but just a general sad feeling for on reason.

I think all of this would have subsided and I could have lived with it. The reason I quit taking it in the middle of a pack is I developed melasma and now have brown blotches on my face that I'm trying to get rid of. So now I have to deal with my worsening acne and try to find a product that will fade the hyperpigmentation on my skin.

I think I'm a rare occurence though, and maybe it's because I was getting on a new pill after having been off for a while and having been on a different one for a long time. Maybe my hormones were just rebelling. I haven't read a lot about people experiencing melasma on Yaz. Normally I wouldn't even have shared because I hate to scare people off meds, but I hate when I'm trying to research a product and I can't get the whole story. So even though this will most likely not happen to you, I think it helps to share that it happened to me. I was completely shocked by it, because the thought of getting melasma had never even crossed my mind.

i just finished my first month for yaz and the only first few days i had headaches. my skin broke out a little bit but is starting to clear up now and i have gained a little water weight that im going to try to lose with exercise.

ive had no really bad side effects and i guess it works differently for everyone.

I am on orthotricycline at the moment and for the first week couldn't keep any food down, (hey, lost a few kilograms though!) I haven't really heard anyone talk about Yaz before, how is it doing with your skin? do you think it will take more than a few weeks to clear it up?

I was on YAZ for a few months and thought it was great! I had spotting the entire first month though, but other than that I loved it. I only switched to another brand because it was was costing me $35 a month, which to me is a lot.

I just started this, I think I'm on my fifth day. I haven't noticed any significant changes at all (then again, I'm only on my fifth day), though I seem to be breaking out a bit. Nothing severe, and not deep cysts (I used to get these on Yasmin/OTC)... it's bearable. I'm taking an antibiotic concurrently for existing acne and to control the breakouts I'll probably have as my body adjusts to the hormones.

I don't think you know how you'll react to a particular BCP unless you've tried it. If you've taken a few before, you might be able to distinguish a pattern and select a pill that might work better for you - otherwise it's mostly hit and miss. I've heard a lot of bad stories about Yaz, though. Have you considered Ortho Lo? Generally, I think low-estrogen pills are supposed to produce fewer and less severe side effects.

well doc suggested that its the progesterone that makes you have bad symptoms in general i haent tried ortho low, but ortho and allese were positively horrible for me

I've been using Yaz for the past 9 months (along with retina A) and have had several noticable side effects. At first I had a hard time with the fact that sometimes I wouldn't even have a period! The stress of taking so many pregnancy tests (just to be sure) was horrible. Then I developed what I now know to be melasma about 2 months after using them. I have been using everything imaginable to get rid of the dark spots on my cheeks, forehead and above my lips ( it looks like a moustache with no hair there). Also, I have had excessive hair loss. I've noticed about a 40% loss of hair all over but especially noticable thinning on top of my head. As far as the acne goes, my face is totally clear. I am very happy with the results of my regimen but the side effects of the Yaz are worse than the acne. I am going to the gyno this month. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what bcp I should switch to? After reading about the spiro, should I ask for that too?

holy crap... now i'm afraid to try it...

Many women can tolerate Spiro, not me. I was on 50mg daily for one-and-a half weeks and starting having terrible muscle spasms and joint issues in my legs and hands, I have been off the medication for 4 days now and the symptoms continue to persist. Remember, Spiro is also a potassium sparing diuretic and you may have the same problems as Yaz.

I started both Yaz and spiro (150 mg) 11 months ago, and around the 5/6 month mark, I became (and still am, knock wood!) completely clear. I had an IB a few weeks in which lasted about 2 weeks, but since I started both around the same time I'm not sure which was responsible.

As for side effects, I had spotting for the first few months, and occasionally 2 periods a month (even with taking a BCP with the spiro), but it was never so much of an inconvenience that I would think of stopping. I did notice I was thirstier for the first few months, too, but that subsided probably around the 3rd or 4th month. I used to have to wash my hair every day or else it would be an oily mess, but now I don't have that problem at all. I definitely noticed the oil on my face has decreased, as well. Besides that, I had no other side effects.