Home Orthotricyclen-Lo

[iwannaprettyone]

I haven''t taken the pill since college, not for any particular reason (we use Condoms). We decided that we would wait to have unprotected (no condom) whoopie till after the wedding, but definatley don''t want to TTC anytime in the next 2 years.

Dr. prescribed me Ortho Lo this morning and I am curious about anyones experiences...side effects etc. I can''t start it til my next cycle next month (wedding in 101 days).

 

[somethingshiny]

I think this pill was the one Eve was on. I was on it when I was in high school because my periods were so messed up, and obviously for the birth control aspect. I couldn't have sex. Everything got really tight and dry and uncomfortable. My mom had also been on the same pill and had the same effects.

I switched to Ortho Novum and didn't have any other problems for a couple years. I went off to TTC.

I'm now on the pill for the first time since I got married, 6 weeks into Yaz. I've had some weird side effects, but nothing like I remember from the first go round.

Of course, all people react differently to the pill (any variety), so if you notice something YOU can't live with, tell your doctor.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I have been on it for 4 years and have no complaints. I have never been pregnant, haven''t gain weight, haven''t lost my sex drive, etc.

What is has done is clear my acne a bit and fade out my strech marks.
I think it is about finding a good fit for you.

Totally unrelated, but a good piece of info you may not have recieved. Some antibiotics render the pills practically useless, something I was not told when I had to take one of them, although I was too sick to go through the motions of accidentally concieving anyway. So just be aware.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

I took ortho 7/7/7 before and it was fine (other than being teary), I think I actually lost weight.

More than anything I am terrified of acne, hairloss and sex drive reduction hehe...if I put on 5lbs, I''m 5ft 8 so I don''t think it would effect my dress (corset back) much.

Anyone else?

 

[krispi]

I was on regular Ortho-tri-cyclen for 4 years and then went off it for a couple of years. When I went to the gyn to go back on the pill, the low dose version had come out and she wanted me to try it. I took 3 months of sample packs and basically bled lightly the entire time. I hated it! It was even making me anemic and tired all the time. After I had used all the samples, I called the doctor and asked for a prescription for the regular dose, and I''ve been fine ever since. Not everyone has this experience, but I have a few other friends who had similar results from trying a low dose pill. If it does happen, try the regular dose - it seems to work better for some.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

I tried Ortho Lo and also had breakthrough bleeding. My doctor told me this happens to a lot of women.

 

[applequeen]

I was on it for a year and had an overall good experience with it. When I started it I had never been on any form of BC (I was 28 when I started it) so I was pretty worried about what it would do to me (mood swings, weight gain, and all that stuff). It turns out that it actually balanced me out... I was less moody than before I went on it (should have tried it sooner). I did gain some weight but since I was underweight to start with it wasn''t a bad thing. My reccomendation for that is to realize why it is that you seem to be starving all the time (the pill) and to try to make healthy choices to deal with it. My skin looked great (I''ve always been acne prone) and overall I felt really good (although I did have some moodiness when I''d switch levels each week). The major problem I had was that during my "off week" I would get a migrane that would last several days. That was the reason my Dr. switched me to Loestrin 24 a little over a year ago... basically the headache was caused by the drop in hormones and with Loestrin 24 you only have 4 "off days" so the drop isn''t as severe. I really love this pill... it''s monophasic so I''m on a constant level of hormones all month (except for those 4 days) and my mood is really stable (everyone has commented on how much I''ve mellowed). My period is only 2-3 days (down from a full 7) and is super light. My only complaint is that my skin is back to it''s old ways (gotta love being 30 with acne ) . I also lost a little weight when I switched pills (not much... maybe 3-4 lbs.... I really think it must have been water... seemed to retain more on OTC LO)

So overall I have to say I liked OTC Lo but I like Loestrin 24 even more.

I''ve also had a couple of friends on OTC Lo that swear by it. My best friend has tried several other pills (been on bc since she was 1 and had TERRIBLE mood swings on all of them... OTC Lo changed her completely (for the better). She said she felt like she had her sanity back.

I think the key is to give your body time to adjust to it... I had few problems adjusting to OTC Lo but I had a terrible time switching to Loestrin 24. I was anxious and moody and cried all the time for the first 2 months I was on it. My dr. wanted me to stick it out for 3 months and I''m so glad I did. Once I got past the 3rd month things were great.

 

[vespergirl]

The only BCP I''ve ever liked is Yaz, because it''s the only one that doesn''t make me gain weight. It also totally cleared up my breakouts.

 

[jas]

I, sadly, had weight gain, acne, and SERIOUS mood swings after I was on it for a few years. Obviously, your mileage may vary.

 

[asscherisme]

My experience with orthotricylcen lo is a beautiful little girl who is 4 years old.

Really, not kidding. I took orth tricyclen for years before kids, and inbetween my kids and never had a problem. I liked being on the pill because my periods were light, predictible, and no cramps. After my 3rd child, the doctor suggeted the lower dose since I was getting older and he said it was just as effective. 2 months later, my peirod never came. I called him, he said not to worry because my body was adjuting to the new pill. another missed period and I had a sneaky suspicion I was pregnant and I was right.

We joke that ortho should pay for her college tuition

 

[kcoursolle]

I was on ortho lo for a while and didn''t have a great experience. It wasn''t as bad as regular ortho tri-cyclene (major weight gain and emotional issues), but I eventually switched to first yasmin and now yaz. While on ortho lo it was good for acne and regular periods (no spotting), but I had some emotional mood swings and weight gain. On Yasmin I didn''t gain as much weight, but it wasn''t as good for the regular periods (some spotting if I wasn''t carefully about taking it at the exact same time every day), and yasmin wasn''t great for my pimples. On yaz, I don''t have any weight gain or bloating or emotional issues, it is also decent for my face. However, it is really touchy about spotting. I will almost always spot even if I take the pill 30min late one day...kind of a pain, but a small price to pay for the other benefits. I didn''t get preggo on any of the pills I''ve ever taken.

 

[allikatac]

I have been on OTC lo for about 4 years now. I was on the regular OTC before that for a year, which I did like much better. It seemed that when I first started the Lo I had a lot of mood swings, but they did go away and I did not have problems until recently. I am now looking to switch because I have been having some blemishes that my dermatologist believes is from the pill. They say that your bodies change over years and sometimes you need a change. I hope that you find this works for you!

 

[appletini]

Date: 6/19/2008 10:49:48 AM
Author: tiffanytwisted
I tried Ortho Lo and also had breakthrough bleeding. My doctor told me this happens to a lot of women.

This happened to me when I was on it for a few months...so I guess it was effective b/c I felt like there were only 3 days in the whole month that I could actually "get some." I quickly switched to yasmin and have been happy ever since.

 

[Bia]

So happy you started this thread! I just started yesterday. Yaz was making me crazy w/ side effects--cycles were coming on so hard, I was miserable. I am hoping this is better.

 

[amy_dub]

Sounds like from everyone''s experience, it really depends on your body. It seems everyone is effected (or affected? I never get that right!) differently.

I''m on my first week of Yaz and have had no side effects whatsoever. I did feel like the first few days I constantly had to pee, but that was probably from the diuretic in it. Now i''m fine. Last night I took the pill an hour late with no spotting. I''ve had no spotting at all. I started taking the pill within the first 24 hours of starting my period instead of starting the sunday after my period like the dr recommended. I don''t know if that had anything to do with it.

I do know that someone I know took OTC lo. occassionaly she would miss taking a pill or would take it late. about a month before her 40th birthday she gave birth to a beautiful little girl. She had been really sick with flu like symptoms (in the summer no less) and a girlfriend of her''s said "what if you''re pregnant?" she laughed it off but took the test anyway. Imagine her surprise when it came back positive.

 

[FrekeChild]

My body can''t handle Yaz or Yasmin. I took it for a month because my OBGYN wanted me to switch from regular OTC, but only a month because I cramped and bled the whole month. With OTC I had never had any problems-they reduced my cramps, period time, and overall PMS issues. Before that I would have a period, have another in 8 weeks, another in 3 weeks, etc. It was always varied-so OTC worked well for that and I was on it for 3 years. Then tried Yaz and then switch OBGYNs and now I''ve been on OTC Lo for 2 years. I don''t have any problems with it at all. My periods seems to go light one month, heaver the next, heavier the next, heaviest the next and then light again though. It''s a bit disconcerting, but nothing major. I don''t know about any other side effects.

 

[dec2410]

i know i''m a little late in responding but just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. i''ve been on orthotricylen-lo for almost a year and a half and never had a problem. still childless, haven''t gained any weight, skin is the same as usual, and no moodswings. what is has done for me is like i said, i''m still childless

, have much lighter and shorter periods with MINIMAL cramping! i''ve always had realllyyyy bad cramps to the point where i couldn''t walk, but with OTC-LO they''re almost completely gone. I highly recommend it.

Oh...and an added bonus...i went up almost a full cup size. haha.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I was on it a long time ago with no problems.

 

[julabean]

It only worked for me for a few months before it made me really, really moody, get my period early, and generally freak out. Not so much fun. I switched to a pill that has the same amount of hormones in every pill and things are 100% better.