Yaz and leg cramps

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2006
Yaz and leg cramps
14
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:25pm

So far so good with Yaz. This is the end of my third month, and I haven't had anymore spotting (yay!). The only really weird thing that's happening now is that I get these terrible charley horses. My hamstrings and the arches of my feet are cramping in the same manner, too. Could this be related to the Yaz, and if so should I be concerned? It didn't start until I started taking bcp.

Thanks!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-16-2005
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:34pm
You should see your doctor ASAP. It could be a sign of a blood clot. It's listed under warning signs in the instructions that come with the pills.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Fri, 10-27-2006 - 1:48am

Hi grammar-gal, welcome back!


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2006
Fri, 10-27-2006 - 2:43pm

Hi, I am on my second month of Yaz and I'm doing really well. I'm taking it for PMDD. It has totally obliterated my PMS and PMDD symptoms so far--very, very happy ;-)


I was told by my doctor that because of my age, I'm 46, if I should have any pains in my legs I need to seek medical attention pronto. This is as the other person said because of the potentially deadly blood clots that can form. I mention my age because he said the older a woman is the more at risk she is of having this side effect while on a BCP including Yaz.


I would not fool around with it. At least I would call my doctor or probably go to the urgent care clinic.


My two cents :-)


iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2005
Fri, 10-27-2006 - 4:37pm

Yes, you should certainly call your doctor ASAP. He will probably want you to come by, just to make sure it is not a blood clot. But, don't panic, because since it is in both legs and your arches, you're probably just having muscle cramps. It isn't uncommon in women on the pill. Once you've checked with your doctor, you might want to up your dietary potassium intake. (Don't take suppliments without your doctor's advice!) Bannanas, orange juice, potatos, and raisins are good sources. Also, watch your salt intake, as well as your caffeine intake, both of which can make your muscles ache.

Please let us know how everything turned out, ok?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Fri, 10-27-2006 - 4:49pm

>>Once you've checked with your doctor, you might want to up your dietary potassium intake. (Don't take suppliments without your doctor's advice!)<<


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2006
Fri, 10-27-2006 - 5:07pm
I phoned my doctor, and the nurse basically said not to fret too much. The doctor wasn't in, but she'll call me Monday. Yaz is supposed to increase potassium, so I doubt it's a potassium problem. I eat TONS of yogurt, so I don't think calcium is an issue either. At any rate, thanks for the advice. It's good that I called my doctor just for peace of mind. I'll let y'all know what she says.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2004
Sat, 10-28-2006 - 6:10pm
I am glad you called the doctor. I started taking a different birth control pill about three months ago to regulate my period so that I would not be on my period while on vacation in Maui, right before I was getting ready to leave for my trip, I started experiencing very bad leg cramps nightly, looked up side affects, and called doctor because I was afraid of getting blood clots since I would be flying. The doctor told me to immediately quit taking the pill and to take baby aspirin for the leg pain I was experiencing during the day from the cramps. After quitting the pill, it took about two weeks for the leg cramps to go away and I feel much better.

Anna

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2006
Mon, 10-30-2006 - 6:31pm

The doctor's office called me this morning to ask me to come in for blood work and a check of my blood pressure. Yikes! My blood pressure was fine, but they didn't even wait for the blood results before telling me to stop the Yaz.

So now I'm switching to Loestrin24 Fe. I guess it's supposed to be similar. Hopefully I won't have to deal with all of the spotting issues I had while I got used to Yaz. Darn it! The third month of Yaz went so well! I had finally adjusted. Oh, well... The nurse said it shouldn't be as hard to adapt since I've already been on a similar pill. Fortunately, I'm only 1 day into the next Yaz cycle so they said I can just switch right over to the new prescription. Blah! What a pain!

Any insights are appreciated as always!

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Mon, 10-30-2006 - 8:18pm

Hi grammar-gal, welcome back!


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-05-2007
Mon, 03-05-2007 - 3:15pm
I too, am having leg and foot PAIN. I wouldn't call them cramps per se, but they're unbearable. I only took Yaz for four days and contacted my Doctor on the 5th day (last Wednesday the 28th) with this complaint. Her first words were, and I quote, "this isn't good." She told me to stop taking Yaz immediately, which I would have done anyway because of the extreme pain and discomfort. Here I am almost a week later, 6 days without Yaz in my system, and my leg, ankle and foot pain and swelling are still persisting (especially now in the left leg.) I of course will have to see my Doctor now to document all of this and to make sure nothing incredibly serious is happening..I was glad to read your post and to know of someone else going through the same thing. I am taking baby aspirin as well. Did it really last two weeks? That's horrible. This drug (in fact, all birth control pills) seem way too dangerous for certain people. Please let us know how you are doing.

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