How long do you wait out pill side effects?
 

Hello all,
I have been trying to find a birth control pill that works for me, and so far, it has been rather tough. I tried Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo for one year, Desogen for four months, then Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo again for 6 months. I felt my sex drive had diminished, was becoming increasingly moody, and started to experience break through bleeding, so decided to try something new.

At my last visit to the gyno, the PA suggested Mircette, which is a monophasic pill with 26 active pills and lower dose of estrogen. I was very excited to try it, as she said she prescribes it to people with similar complaints and her patients have all been satisfied.

I have been on it for two weeks, and have literally felt like an emotional wreck. It seems like suddenly everything revolves around me, and everyone is out to piss me off (almost like intense PMS). Of course, I know that it is irrational - even at the moments when I feel offended/pissed, but I can not help but let the irrational emotions take over. I hate this feeling of not having control over my emotional reactions.

Of course, it could be something other than the pill (I have been working really hard, not sleeping much, and studying for the GRE), but it seems like I experienced an emotional 180 the first day I started the pill, and I have not returned to normal since.

So, my question is, how long do you wait the side effects out? Could my body just be freaking out over the change in hormones, and return to normal in a couple of months? I was told before to give the pill 3 months before switching, but at this rate, I will piss off/scare away all friends, colleagues, and my boyfriend by then! I think there is only so much leeway others will be willing to give me, even with the disclaimer "I switched my birth control pill and feel on edge right now. Please ignore me if I seem overly emotional/bitchy/sensitive"!

I am interested in hearing your thoughts and experiences. I told myself if this pill does not work out, I will quit all pills for awhile and try to return to my old self (with use of condoms). It is scary to return to full blown periods/cramps/PMS, but probably better than feeling moody all the time. I am also interested in the IUD, and the TFP IUD thread is awesome for information.

It is amazing how much birth control pills really affect us!

-Ashley

have you thought about trying the Nuva Ring?? I've heard it works really well and the side effects are pretty minor. But with what you said about trying Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and still not being comfortable with it, idk how the Nuva Ring would work with you body..... But it would probably be worth a try... Look it up on the internet if you're not familiar with it.... or better yet, talk to your gyno... the internet isn't too great for searches on bc.... haha...

Hope this helps a little bit.... As far as waiting the side effects out?? I'd give it a few months/packs before switching...just give it time.. and don't worry so much just go with the flow.... your body, especially female bodies... react accordingly to how you process things and what not.... such as if you're worrying about starting your period, usually it'll take a little longer to start!! So just give it a little time, but not too much...definitely start looking at other options.... maybe even the pill that only gives you 4 periods a year!! Idk... those are my suggestions... good luck Ashley!

My doc told me to give it three months if you switch. I agree with tinydancer-- Nuva Ring was good for me the first time. The second time, though, I had yeast infections for the whole three month trial period. Good luck, hon.

Each person is different, I never did get rid of side effects, in fact mine grew worse over time until I nearly had a nervous breakdown.

I'm going through the side effects thing right now too. Although my doc put me on Yasmin. To help control my moods and painful periods caused by my endometriosis. Only gotten through one month so far and I think my moods (anger issues) have gotten a little better, but not near where I feel normal. Also I've noticed I suddenly have acne like a young teen again. Which really sucks. If the acne and the moods don't calm after 3 months, I'm going to see about switching.
Also the first month I bled the entire month...it was awful. But the second pack I just started and everything seems fine in that respect.
I advise waiting 3 months....

I was on the patch for a year, and the first 3 months were the worst due to severe boob soreness/growth, and nausea. I threw up several times. The soreness improved, but the nausea never went away completely (it was always on the Monday after I started a new patch), so I eventually switched to the ring after one year. Have been on the ring for two years straight now and haven't had any problems with it, just occasional nausea on the Monday after a new one (very rare, compared to the patch). So, I would give it a few months and see what happens.

Thank you for your responses! :)

I am starting to feel a bit better, but definitely not like my normal self. I am still hypersensitive, but am at least able to control it a bit more. I will wait out the three months before switching. The ring sounds quite awesome - that is something I will definitely look into if things do not improve.

Thanks again!!

SO glad to hear I'm not the only one with these issues!!!

I've been on Ortho-Cyclen, Ortho-Tri-Cyclen, Ortho-Tri-Cyclen-Lo, Mircette, Neco and something else whose name I can't remember, and I've NEVER been happy with the side effects. Acne, mood swings, etc. My husband and I still use condoms because I don't want the shot and he doesn't want a vasectomy.

For the first time in 2 years, I am trying another pill, Yasmin this time. I'm in my first week of taking it, and I haven't seen any side effects YET... I'll keep you posted.

Adri, did you ever try the NuvaRing?

Yaz works for me. I have my period all of 3 days, and the only side effect I personally experience is just being tired and craving chocolate ;)

I suggest 3 months, that seems to be the consensus among doctors.

Personally, I've been on a lot of different pills and such too. The lower dose ones never worked for me. Ortho Tri-cyclen Lo caused a lot of emotional problems with me also. Now I'm back on the patch and it works well for me as it always has.

It sounds to me like your doctor is recommending mostly lower dose pills. If none of those are working for you I think you might ask about something with a higher dose. The patch, the ring and a few different pills have higher doses and those are the ones that work best for me.

No, I haven't tried it, but I will say this... I've been taking Yasmin for 7 days now, and I am an emotional WRECK.

My husband is always traveling (usually 5 days/week, 3 weeks/month) and he came back from a really long trip on Friday. I'm usually very happy to see him. Saturday, I spent most of the morning screaming at him to go away again. :orly:

I mean, really. It wasn't very cool of me at all. Did he do anything wrong? No. I was just... weepy. Very, very weepy.

I honestly don't know if I can do this for 3 months. :shakehead:

I read this as I enter the last week of my third pack of Yaz. And I looked at my little ramekin cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and laughed. I never craved chocolate before I started the Yaz.

I'm coming off three months of Depo and still fighting the after effects. I've been on several different pills including the Ortho-Tri and the Yasmin. So far, even though I'm still fighting seven day periods, the flow is so light I don't notice as much except on one day. And I haven't tried to kill anyone. I usually give mine at least two packs, typically four unless it's really bad. It's hard for your body to adjust, especially if you've changed multiple times in a few years.

Oh yeah. I'm ALL about the most delicious chocolate milkshake EVER in the entire world, from Coldstone Creamery, called the Oh Fudge milkshake. Expensive, but SO TOTALLY WORTH IT!! :thumbsup:

Yeah, I would give it at least three months, unless your side effects are just so bad you can't wait them out. Your body has to adjust to the new hormone load; since the Pill basically works by convincing your body it's pregnant, your body is undergoing a lot of subtle change right now.

But listen to your body, and listen to yourself. If you are not happy with your pill, go back to the doctor and seek out other choices. For a lower dose of hormones, you might try the NuvaRing. If you don't want hormonal BC, and are in a monogamous LTR, you might consider the IUD.

You haven't run out of options yet, so go back to your doctor if you need to.

I really like the NuvaRing, personally. I was on it for 2 years. No problems except some breast tenderness after inserting a new ring. Had to go off of it because my county health clinic doesn't carry it, but I'll be going back on it soon.

That's exactly why I decided to go off it a few months ago. I've never felt better in my life! My face broke out a little bit, but I think it was worth it. My boyfriend and I just use condoms now.

I hope this doesn't offend you because I mean it in the nicest way possible but that's a great way to get pregnant.

My opinion is that unless people are fully ready to deal with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy they should not try natural family planning.

If you want to get away from hormones and are in a monogamous relationship, your best option is an IUD.

Isn't the IUD really dangerous? Perhaps I'm thinking of something else. The IUD is the implant in your arm, right?


Condoms > Natural Family Planning

Update: My husband wants me to stop taking the Pill, he says he can't handle me. LOL.

Jessica,

Sorry, I meant to say that condoms are better than natural family planning. That's what I meant by using the "greater than" symbol. :)

NFP still has the possibility (dare I say probability) of human error involved, even with the most meticulous planning. Condoms take away all the questions, in my opinion.

The IUD stands for intrauterine device, meaning it's a little contraption that they stick in your uterus. The two kinds available in the United States are the Paraguard Copper-T IUD: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragard) and the Mirena: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IntraUterine_System). The Mirena is coated with progresterone, a hormone. The Paraguard, by contrast, is made of plastic and copper wire--no hormone, but the copper acts as a spermicide.

There was a notably bad IUD in the 1970s called the Dalkon Shield, but millions of women the world over have been using the IUD for years without problems, which is why it continues to be the no. 1 form of birth control everywhere but the United States (where since the incident of the Dalkon Shield, use of the IUD decreased, but it is on the rise again).

The device you were referring to is Norplant, which is no longer on the market in the United States.

OMG that would hurt SO much. :eek:

scarglitter, it sounds like pretty much any hormonal birth control that you try is bound to give you some sort of side unwanted effect. The copper IUD is the only non-hormonal birth control method I'm aware of that is over 99% successful in preventing pregnancy. The other non-hormonal methods of birth control that I'm aware of (like the sponge, diaphragm, the mostly useless rhythm method, spermicides, and condoms) just don't have the success rate that an IUD does. I might get one after we have our next child (whenever that may be) because I'm pretty sensitive to hormones, too. Right now I'm on Ortho Evra (the "patch") and it gives me far fewer side effects than the various pills/shots I've tried in the past. It still affects my sex drive, though, which is why I might go with an IUD next time.

And, of course, barrier methods (CONDOMS!!) are the only way to help prevent the transmission of STD's. Duh.

About IUD's