Venting

[anchor31]

I''m on Alesse and I really want to stop once my prescription in over next year (sooner if I can). I hate taking the pill, and I''m starting to wonder if it''s making me depressed. My doctor told me about a hormone-releasing IUD called Mirena and recommended it. Has anyone heard about/tried it?

 

[Caribou]

Date: 2/15/2006 4:39:59 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier
Caribou - I''m so sorry you didn''t have a great V Day.

But today is a new day!

I agree, I have a friend who gets her Depo shots like clockwork . . . for some reason her doctor neglected to pee test her before her last shot in December, and it turned out a couple of weeks later she had been almost 4 months pregnant at the appointment, nearly 5 months when she realized she was! Obviously there were major issues with the pregnancy and she had to have it terminated.

Needless to say, I will never be a Depo subscriber.

I''m a Yasmin user now, and I don''t have any problems aside from weight gain, but that could have happened because I turned 30 this year and my metabalism finally caught up with me. I''ve always been ultra sensitive as an adult, and I''m actually anxious to go off the pill to see if I might actually NOT cry at commercials and A Wedding Story. I don''t remember what I was like NOT being on BC.

The good news is that FI and I rarely fight. I think we had about 3 or 4 major arguments over the past 4 years, and what we had been fighting about every 6 months was the fact that we weren''t getting engaged! Now that''s over with, so I wonder what my next ''sensitivity topic'' will be.

Thanks Lauren, my day has gotten a little better. I get to go home in 10 minutes so it''ll get even better.

That''s horrible what your friend went through.

I was watching some morning news show...Today or Good Morning AM....some woman was surprised by her husband and he started saying some really sweet things about her and getting all choked up. It made me cry...then I thought this is BS....I don''t cry at these things.

 

[pebbles]

Ok, I''''ll add my $.02 because this thread has turned more into a BCP thread instead of the venting thread I thought it was.

I am a pharmacist so I have heard it all when it comes to BCP. It''s unfortunately all trial and error so to speak because everyone''s body handles the different hormones differently. Even switching from the brand to the generic can cause problems for some women.

When Yasmin first came out everything thought it would be awesome b/c it had a diuretic in it and you supposedly didn''t get the same bloating and water retention that you get with the others. It''s popular but I don''t think it''s lived up to it''s hype. You either love or hate that one. I was on it but didn''t see an advantage over others I tried. My personal favorite is Aleese. It''s a low dose one and mono-phasic (meaning the same concentration of hormone in each pill). There are a lot more side effects with the tri-phasil ones (Ortho Tri Cyclen, etc.) even though they supposedly mimic your natural menstrual cycle more. The newest one, Seasonale, kind of scares me. You only get your period 4 times a year?! I think that''s mucking around with nature a bit too much.

Actually, if you have been on BCPs for more than 5 years you really should give your body a break from them. But if you do go off them you have to be really careful as it takes your body a few months to get back on track; you can ovulate and not realize it or ovulate more than once a month. That''s why a lot of pregnancies happen right after the woman goes off BCPs.

I don''t like Depo Provera either. The weight gain is huge as many have said. The patch is popular but so many women have skin reactions to the adhesive. I had one woman tell me that she put vaseline on it because it then wasn''t as itchy -- I told her to stop that immediately as it could prevent the medication from entering her body!

If you ever get your packet and you see the instructions "Take one pill by mouth daily" or something like that, and you think, why do the instructions say "by mouth" as you would think that''s a given? Well, no joke, I heard heard of women putting the pills somewhere else instead of swallowing them.

Sorry for the TMI..

Deco - where have you been!? The pull and pray method! I literally laughed out loud when I read that!!!!

 

[aphisiglovessae]

Date: 2/15/2006 4:32:42 PM
Author: AmberWaves
I knew a girl in HIGH SCHOOl on Norplant. Yikes. I have hear good/bad things about Depo-, you don''t really know if you''re pregnant or not because of the lack of period. The one thing I love about the pill, it''s so easy to plan around.. I know my schedule exactly, and this is coming from a girl who never knew what was happening, even with a calendar!

I got preggo once on Depo, but the doctors said not to get my hopes up. They said that it should cause a natural miscarriage. It happened a couple of days later.

 

[aphisiglovessae]

Date: 2/15/2006 4:47:43 PM
Author: anchor31
I'm on Alesse and I really want to stop once my prescription in over next year (sooner if I can). I hate taking the pill, and I'm starting to wonder if it's making me depressed. My doctor told me about a hormone-releasing IUD called Mirena and recommended it. Has anyone heard about/tried it?

I was on Alesse before I was put on Lo-Ovral. I get my birth-control through my local health department and they said that they were no longer carrying the Alesse. They didn't tell me why though. They also stopped carrying the patch because they said that a lot of women were having problems with it sticking to them (they kept falling off or something), some were allergic to the adhesive, and a LOT of women were still getting preggo on them.

I'm not too keen on IUDs. It's just not natural to have something like that in your body. Your body knows it's a foreign object and will treat it like an invader, subsequently causing scar tissue or infection. Doctors have told me that because of these issues, they would only recommend an IUD to a woman who has had children and has no plans to have anymore, but doesn't want to have her tubes tied/burned.

ETA: This thread did go off on a tangent didn't it? lol.

 

[AmberWaves]

I''ve never heard of it, Anchor, but I''m a little afraid of IUDs, the idea of something left there for awhile, just creeps me out! Have you heard about the Nuva Ring? It''s a ring that fits at the opening of the cervix, I think. It secretes hormones, too.

 

[AmberWaves]

Aphis, you''re right about the IUD going to women who have had all their children, don''t tell my boyfriend that, the poor little accident. Funny thing, the OB-Gyn told his mother that he''d be underweight, but he came out 11 pounds. I don''t think they counted his head.

Pebbles, I thought that a lot of the advantages of being on BCP (not counting protection from pregnancy) came after 5 years? What happens if we stay on longer? (Like me, in my 7th)

 

[pebbles]

Date: 2/15/2006 4:47:43 PM
Author: anchor31
I''m on Alesse and I really want to stop once my prescription in over next year (sooner if I can). I hate taking the pill, and I''m starting to wonder if it''s making me depressed. My doctor told me about a hormone-releasing IUD called Mirena and recommended it. Has anyone heard about/tried it?

Looks like this has been out for a while as it first got approval back in 2000. It only contains a progesterine-type hormone, similar to the BCPs that are used by breast-feeding women. From what I can gather, it does not inhibit ovulation, rather, it''s effects are more local and it prevents pregnancy by thickening the cervial mucus to prevent passage of sperm into the uterus, inhibiting sperm survival and altering the endometrium, thus preventing implantation (info from my Physician''s Desk Reference 2004).

So the good news is that you don''t have the systemic effects of hormones like you do with oral BCPs, and you''re only dealing with one type of hormone and not too. However the success rate is a little less than the pill, meaning there were more pregnancies reported with women using IUDs than with the pill.

I am however very surprised that your physician would recommend it as it says right in the medication info sheet that "Mirena is recommended for women who have had at least one child..."

I cannot recommend one way or the other that this is the best choice for you; that is between you and your physician.

 

[saturn]

So sorry you had a lousy V-day. Guys sure can be stupid sometimes.

Just wanted to mention that when I started on bcp''s, my doctor said she was concerned about depression as a side effect so she recommended that I take extra B vitamins. Don''t really know why they would help, but I definitely notice that I''m much happier and more energetic when I take them. Not that I''m depressed when I don''t, but it really seems to help my mood.

So if you''re having a lot mood problems on the pill, maybe try taking some extra B vitamins? I buy them separately (not a multivitamin).

 

[Shay37]

I am one of those women who cannot take birth control pills at all. Most of the women in my family have had issues with them as well. I was 20 and they put me on the lowest dose available. Two pills later, I had a major blood clot in my leg. One of my aunties had surface blood clots with them. My sister''s BP shoots up sky high, and I had a cousin who had a mild stroke on them ( as mild as that can be in your 20s)

I had to always use a diaphragm. It worked for me and my hubby for 2 years, and then we started trying for our kids. I went back to it between boys, and then after my second son was born for another couple of years. My honey got snipped for me, and I have been a happy camper ever since. Keep in mind I was 37, and he was 40 and we didn''t want anymore children, so he had the surgery because recovery time for him was easier than for me.

shay

 

[pebbles]

Date: 2/15/2006 5:18:58 PM
Author: AmberWaves
Aphis, you''re right about the IUD going to women who have had all their children, don''t tell my boyfriend that, the poor little accident. Funny thing, the OB-Gyn told his mother that he''d be underweight, but he came out 11 pounds. I don''t think they counted his head.

Pebbles, I thought that a lot of the advantages of being on BCP (not counting protection from pregnancy) came after 5 years? What happens if we stay on longer? (Like me, in my 7th)

Increased risk of blood clots, increased risk of developing breast cancer, particularly at a young age, increased blood pressure, to name some of the things == all related to how long someone has been on BCPs.

 

[flopkins]

man this thread has totally taken a bend...

but anyway it''s interesting about the depression symptom, I''ve been feeling kinda down the past year since I switched to a generic brand bcp (I was on orthocyclen before) and now I just switched again bc I was getting spotting...

but the other thing the NP told me was that you could just keep taking the hormones and skip the ''off'' week w/the pills so you don''t get your period (which I had heard of before) but she said you could do this a LOT if you want, as long as you have a period a few times a year!! I dunnos I feel weird about that...

Plus I asked her how long I should be off the pill before we start trying to get pregnant and she said I could stop BCP anytime and start trying right away... she said there''s been so many girls on BCP while pregnant (Before they realized they were preggo they were still taking BCP) and that the babies have all been healthy so it''s not a big deal, esp since the hormone dosages are so low nowadays. . anyone else hear about this?!

 

[aphisiglovessae]

Date: 2/15/2006 5:44:58 PM
Author: pebbles

Date: 2/15/2006 5:18:58 PM

Author: AmberWaves

Aphis, you're right about the IUD going to women who have had all their children, don't tell my boyfriend that, the poor little accident. Funny thing, the OB-Gyn told his mother that he'd be underweight, but he came out 11 pounds. I don't think they counted his head.

Pebbles, I thought that a lot of the advantages of being on BCP (not counting protection from pregnancy) came after 5 years? What happens if we stay on longer? (Like me, in my 7th)

Increased risk of blood clots, increased risk of developing breast cancer, particularly at a young age, increased blood pressure, to name some of the things == all related to how long someone has been on BCPs.

Oh no, I'm going on year #8!

 

[Mara]

the interesting thing is that lately i have been wondering if my pill is making me gain a little weight since i went off it last month (accidentally, i ran out then just didn't have time to get more so we went to 'plan b'...) and it seemed like i suddenly lost a few lbs, and then when i started it up again this month i have been watching and it seems like maybe i gained a few lbs back.

i don't really NEED it (aka 'plan b' is always available) and i mostly use it because my periods are horrible without it (i know, TMI!), but now i am thinking maybe i will try going off it again and seeing if the few lbs loss happens again and if that is the case maybe i will experiment a bit with new pills with my doctor...i have been using the same one since i was in HS! i have gone off it a few times and taken a break but maybe my body has changed and whereas it did not give me weight gain before, it may now.

i also thought back to before the wedding, i was not taking it at all for about a year and then i remember going ON IT two months before the wedding to regulate my period to not have it during my wedding or honeymoon and i remember suddenly feeling like i'd gained 5 lbs but without changing any habits. at the time i thought oh gosh i just must be stressed and eating more, but now i am wondering after putting 2 and 2 together now.

it's one of the tri-cycle pills...so maybe i need a more stable low dosage. boy it would be nice if it really is the 5 lbs from the pill because sometimes i feel like i am on crack mentally...hehee. am i 5 lbs or aren't i? the negative of not using a scale.

 

[AmberWaves]

Mara, I''ve noticed that I have gained weight lately, and I was contributing this to the steroid I have to take for my asthma, but now I wonder if the two together may have made me a little "fatter". At least I can breathe..

 

[pebbles]

Date: 2/15/2006 6:05:51 PM
Author: AmberWaves
Mara, I''ve noticed that I have gained weight lately, and I was contributing this to the steroid I have to take for my asthma, but now I wonder if the two together may have made me a little ''fatter''. At least I can breathe..

Amber, were you taking an oral steroid, or a steroid inhaler? The steriod inhalers are not supposed to make you put on any weight.

If you went off the pill, then went back on right away and thought you gained weight, it could just be from the pill. Sometimes it does not take your body long to get back to normal and even one month off from the pill, you can still get the side effects once you go back on. It''s the progestin component that causes all the weight gain.

 

[AmberWaves]

OKay guys, I''m freaking out... I told you all I started my pack late, about 10 hours or so. I asked the pharmacist if I should use a backup method or what, and he was like, no, you don''t need it. I took my pill when I got them, and then the next pill at the usual time. Now I read this:

The most common way women get pregnant while using The Pill is starting late.
1 day late starting the next package: Take 2 pills as soon as you remember and one pill each day after. Use a backup form of birth control for two weeks.
2 days late starting the next package: Take 2 pills per day for 2 days, then continue as usual. Use a backup form of birth control for two weeks.
3 or more days late starting the next package: Call the clinic for instructions

WTH??? Am I in trouble? We kinda celebrated V-Day two nights ago... Anyone? Help?

 

[pebbles]

Date: 2/15/2006 5:54:58 PM
Author: flopkins
man this thread has totally taken a bend...

but anyway it''s interesting about the depression symptom, I''ve been feeling kinda down the past year since I switched to a generic brand bcp (I was on orthocyclen before) and now I just switched again bc I was getting spotting...

but the other thing the NP told me was that you could just keep taking the hormones and skip the ''off'' week w/the pills so you don''t get your period (which I had heard of before) but she said you could do this a LOT if you want, as long as you have a period a few times a year!! I dunnos I feel weird about that...

Plus I asked her how long I should be off the pill before we start trying to get pregnant and she said I could stop BCP anytime and start trying right away... she said there''s been so many girls on BCP while pregnant (Before they realized they were preggo they were still taking BCP) and that the babies have all been healthy so it''s not a big deal, esp since the hormone dosages are so low nowadays. . anyone else hear about this?!

I was taught that you should wait a couple of months off of BCPs before "trying" to become pregnant just to give your body a break before the stress of pregnancy.

Most studies have shown that taking BCPs inadvertently during the early stages of pregnancy does not have a negative effect on the fetus. What drs are most concerned about, and what there have been reports of, is cardiac abnormalities (b/c the heart is one of the first organs formed) and limb defects (problems with the arms, legs) because those too form very early.

 

[pebbles]

Date: 2/15/2006 6:13:04 PM
Author: AmberWaves

OKay guys, I''m freaking out... I told you all I started my pack late, about 10 hours or so. I asked the pharmacist if I should use a backup method or what, and he was like, no, you don''t need it. I took my pill when I got them, and then the next pill at the usual time. Now I read this:

The most common way women get pregnant while using The Pill is starting late.

1 day late starting the next package: Take 2 pills as soon as you remember and one pill each day after. Use a backup form of birth control for two weeks.
2 days late starting the next package: Take 2 pills per day for 2 days, then continue as usual. Use a backup form of birth control for two weeks.
3 or more days late starting the next package: Call the clinic for instructions

WTH??? Am I in trouble? We kinda celebrated V-Day two nights ago... Anyone? Help?

10 hours late is not considered a DAY late. A day late is generally more than 24 hours late. Did you wind up taking 2 pills on the same day or were they taken different days? Which one are you using again?

 

[AmberWaves]

Pebbles, I''m on Ortho Novum 7-7-7, and I took the missed pill at 9:10am, and the next one at the usual time, 10:15pm. So they were about 11 hours apart on the same day. But we didn''t use any backup method, either.

 

[selflove]

amber--love your new avatar! what a cute sleepy belly!!

caribou--i had a v-day fight too. join the club. it was over wedding invitations, ironically. but we got over it. spent 4 hours working on those things last night. not fun.

re: pregnancy post-pill: i work with an ob/gyn fertility specialist who advised me to go off the pill 2 months before trying to conceive. (i''ve been on the pill for 16 years--i vaguely remember the normal periods when i was in high school, waking up in pain with cramps...not looking forward to that again, as next month is my last month on it!!!!!)

mara--i hope my body reacts the same as your''s when i go off

--i''d love to lose 5 lbs! but then my wedding dress might be too big... oh well, small price....

 

[pebbles]

Aarugh! I just wrote my reply and it disappeared!

Amber -- according to the PDR (which is basically a book of all the package inserts of medications), "maximum contraceptive effectiveness" is achieved when the pills are taken no more than 24 hours apart. If I understand you correctly, if you took your pill 10 hours late, then about 34-35 hours elapsed from the time you took the prior pill, right? It doesn''t mean you won''t have ANY effectiveness, just maybe not the MAXIMUM contraceptive effectiveness. However, women have gotten pregnant taking all their pills exactly as scheduled. Not to scare you, but just to let you know.

 

[AmberWaves]

Pebbles, this is was is freaking me out, because it was the first pill of the pack, and I hadn''t taken any for a week, because it was the break-time. The 7 fake pills.

 

[AmberWaves]

Well, I just called the doctor, and she said I should be fine.

I mean, 10 hours isn''t so bad. It''s like taking it the same day, right? Anyway, Pepples, thank you SO SO SO much for all your help. And Caribou- SO SO SO SO sorry for hijacking your thread with my pregnancy scares.. I love PS

 

[JessesGrl]

anchor- Aleese is THE worst, well for me anyway. I was on it when I first got on the pill and I had my period for a MONTH straight b/c of it...it also made me a wee bit pyscho!! I have been on levlite for 6 years now with little to no side effects

 

[anchor31]

Hm, now I''m getting scared of the IUD too! Especially since I haven''t had children yet and my SO and I want four of them in a few years... Thanks for the input everyone...

I''ll definitely have to switch pills, but ideally I''d like to stop messing around with my cycle. I''m starting to have stronger and stronger depression symptoms too and there is a strong history of medication-related depressions in my family, so I''d really like to have a non-chemical alternative. The diaphragm has been mentionned a few times in the thread... Would you recommend that?

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 2/15/2006 4:53:00 PM
Author: pebbles
Deco - where have you been!? The pull and pray method! I literally laughed out loud when I read that!!!!

Just back from my V-day vaca! I love that expression, so apt!

On the ''phram issue - my experience so far (6 months) has been okay I guess. Little tricky at first - and for a while there was a nationwide SHORTAGE of ''em! Ummmm - it''s a little piece of rubber! If they can keep us in IPODs and CARS, how is THAT so tough to manufacture?? Amusingly we call it "the trampoline". That always cracks me up. My friend has used one for 20+ years and loves it. In fact, she didn''t know that every couple of years you need to get re-measured & get a new RX ...so she had the SAME one for at least 10 of those years. Eiiiuuuuu ..

 

[aphisiglovessae]

Ugh, now THAT''s gross...

 

[AmberWaves]

Yeah, that''s like using the same toothbrush for ten years. Raunchy!

 

[JDgirl]

This may be a little late to add, but from someone who has tried A LOT of different pills, here's what they did to me:

The bad ones (for me):
Ortho Tri-Cyclen: weight gain, hair thinning, breast tenderness, moodiness
Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo: moodiness, breakthrough bleeding
Alesse: spotting, heavy flow, cramping, moodiness
Yasmin: spotting, heavy flow, moodiness

BUT, my FAVORITE: Loestrin 1.5/30 (they also make a low dose, Loestrin 1/20). I have absolutely no problems on this pill and I've recommended it to a number of my friends who've had problems on other pills, and so far, they've all done great on it too. I can't say the same about the generic, because I haven't liked it as much, and I went back on the brand name.