Switching pills.. any advice?
 

I've been on Ortho Lo for a little over a year now and it's working pretty well... no crazy side effects (I had raging yeast infections on the ring, ortho 7/7/7 made me puke for days on end) but I hate having a period. The mood swings that come along with it are enough to make me crazy, let alone the poor people I live with. My gyno has recommended Yaz for decreasing the periods and thereby the PMS, but all I've heard are absolute horror stories about it, ranging from terrible mood swings to uncontrollable anger to no sex drive (WORST of all for me, I just discovered I had a libido). Anyone on here taken it before? Any recommendations?

I am not on Yaz, but I am on Yasmin.

I actually tried switching from Yasmin Ortho Tri-cyclen Lo last summer. Worst decision ever! I was moody and cried about anything and everything.. immediately switched back to Yasmin and I was fine!

I know very little about Yaz, I'll be interested to read any responses. :)

Hmmm I always thought that Yaz was slang for Yasmin. I know too little about this topic to offer any practical and specific advice.

What I will say:

Every woman's body chemistry is different. Some work wonders for one woman, but are a nightmare for another. I would take all of the recommendations you hear, wonderful and informing as they are, and realize you may have a very, very different experience.

Yaz is not the same as Yasmin. I believe Yaz has 24 active days, instead of 21, so it's supposed to decrease the length of your period. They have the same progesterone variant (which is different from most bc pills, I think that's what makes me most compatible with Yasmin), but I believe Yaz has a lower estrogen level. It's supposed to be good for managing PMDD.

I know several people who recently tried Yaz, all seemed very happy with the results. One of my friends did report she had gained some weight on it and was going to stop it completely. She had not tried birth control previously, and may have been willing to try it longer after she reached that plateau where the weight normalizes. I have heard the same complaints on Depo-Provera in the past as well.

I was just coming in here to ask the same question Stella. I am currently on the ring. While I love the convenience and all other aspects of the ring, I hate how it has killed my sex drive. I was on Ortho tri-cyclen before, didn't like the mood swings or the fact I still had tender breasts and my sex drive plummeted on that as well. Near the end of the week with out the ring I start to feel normal again.
So for my sake (and my fiance's) I need something new. I head to the gyno this Saturday and I am going to ask him so I'll bring back any info I find out. But I was hoping for some advice from the ladies here and some different things to ask him about.
Personal experiences are always helpful even if everyone is different.

Funny, my annual appointment is in two hours and this is the same conversation I'm going to have with my gyno. I went from Yasmin, which was "okay" but still didn't help with my PMS/PMDD as much as I'd have liked, to Depo... which was like spiraling into hell . Then tried Yaz, and honestly, I hate it. I have three days of violent period and three days of drips, a full week of PMS symptoms before my period and a week during. I gain four to six pounds with every cycle and lose most of it by the end, but I'm still seven pounds heavier than when I started it despite a pretty intensive exercise schedule compared to when I started. My libido is NIL. I'm going to look into Seasonale or one of the other quarterly pills because my body, relationship and mind can't handle the PMS/PMDD symptoms every month.
Although the almost-homicidal rants sometimes amuse my man. And me later.

But, I'll definitely agree that every single woman's chemistry is different and who knows what'll work. I have friends that have two day periods on Yaz, one that lost twenty pounds on Depo (unlike NORMAL people :) ) and some that loved Ortho Tri Cyclen, which caused me severe headaches. You have to shop around. I haven't been on the same pill longer than a year in about the last five years.
Good luck, Stella

I second the idea to check into Seasonale - even if it means that one period is brutal, hey, it's only 4x a year! Maybe also consider a Mirena? Low dose progesterone in an IUD. I have the copper one myself (it would make your periods heavier so unless they're really light, I don't recommend it).

Unfortunately, it's going to be a long process finding what works for you - it often takes a few months to adjust to any new hormone. Good luck!

I've been toying with the idea of the Mirena, but I don't think I'm ready to go there yet. Seasonale is a possibility. I stayed with my Ortho Lo this month and I'm glad, because I'm sick... can't imagine being sick and having the crazy hormones!

I've tried both Seasonale and Yaz. I encountered much nausea, similar to morning sickness, with both. *shrugs* They may work great for some people, but not so great for me.

OK ladies, I went to the gyno today. (So much better to go to a gyno instead of some random doctor :thumbsup: ) When I told him my problem of no sex drive his first suggestion was an IUD. Unfortunately insurance often doesn't cover the IUD so he doesn't do them very often. ($400-$500 just for the device and insurance companies only reimburse him $100 :eek: )
I told him being a college student, I would have to save up for it if it had to come out of my pocket. In the meantime he said that many of the women that come to him have raved about Yaz. He gave me a prescription and wants to see me back in 3 months to see how I am liking it and if my sex drive has come back.
Truly a great doctor!

I am sure that much of the information is already known, but he did say that between Yaz and Yasmin, mos of his patients tend to do better on and prefer Yaz.