Pills giving me undesirable effects!

[JenStone]

People who know me well can attest to the fact that I get very hormonal during that special time of the month. My eyes well up with tears at sappy commercials. I crave chocolate, when usually I can''''t stand the stuff. I gain 5 lbs every month (no kidding here). And I have unbearable cramps, which seem to be getting worse and worse every time. The past two months, I actually had to take sick days because I was not able to peel myself from a fetal position at the corner of my bed.

So last month, I finally went to the doctor. She said everything physically seemed to be in order, and prescribed some birth control pills.

Bad idea.

I''''m gaining weight like crazy. And I keep craving food, especially carbs and sweets. Meanwhile my boobs are HUGE and so swollen that they hurt when I walk. My skin is breaking out; it hasn''''t been this bad since puberty.

I called the doctor to see what''''s going on and she told me to give it some more time; my body is just adjusting to the extra hormones. She said switching to another kind wouldn''''t help much because the ones I''''m taking have one of the lowest estrogen levels on the market.

Now I''''m contemplating getting off these damn things because I don''''t want to gain more weight. Yes, I''''d take beauty over pain. Especially with the warmer weather.

Any advice from fellow PSers?

 

[Odilia]

Did you ever try progesterone cream? You can get it at health food stores. It would be a much safer way to try to alleviate some of this than the pill. Also you may need to look at your diet. There are lots of good books on it - I would try some of those routes. You might want to look at a book called, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause - by Virginia Hopkins, John R. Lee, M.D. and Jesse Hanley. I have no idea how old you are so you may be thinking, hey, I''m way too young to start talking about that! But really, they are talking about younger women, and all the health advice they give should help some. They talk about the harmful effects of the pill, and what are the alternatives. There are tons of other books; just can''t think of the names right now.

I found an excerpt here, although I didn''t read it.
http://www.twbookmark.com/books/65/0446673803/chapter_excerpt400.html

 

[JenStone]

Thank you SOOO much, OFG. I had never heard of progesterone cream, and I just googled it to find some great stuff about it out there. I''ll pick some up on my way home today.

I never liked the pill anyway....I''m crossing my fingers that this will be a good alternative!

 

[jcrow]

JenStone- i had the same unbearable cramps. i used sick days too. NOT good, at least not for me. i went to the gyno and he suggested two options. perscription pain meds for the pain or bc. i didn't want bc. so i got the pain meds. they are a dream. i still feel pain, but it's tolerable.
it's called ponstel. i googled the name here.

eta: the only thing i watch out for is alcohol while i am taking it. the label says it's no no.

 

[Odilia]

p.s. I was assuming this was for health/hormone issues, not BC. I''ve been plagued with horrendous cramps and increasing PMS over the years, which is why I''ve looked into some alternatives to alleviate it. Allopathic medicine isn''t good on this kind of stuff, and fortunately I never had many doctors try to push the pill on me, but I wouldn''t have taken it if they had. I must admit I still don''t follow all the dietary advice and all, but prog. cream taken 2nd half of the cycle does seem to help some, and it helped a friend of mine a lot. She was the one who told me about that book, and they mention how we get way too much estrogen these days because of all the hormones and junk they put in our food (like cows, e.g. - the meat and milk etc... is like taking hormones!), and how it is increasing all these hormonal/health problems in our society. (PMS, cramps, infertility etc...)

 

[blueroses]

If you don''t mind my asking, which pill are you on? I don''t have any experience with the more homeopathic methods, and that could be the way to go, BUT there are also so many different pills with different hormone levels....you might just be on the wrong one.

 

[JenStone]

I''m taking Yaz. Silly me - I never even googled it when I first got my prescription. But apparently, it is made by the same company that makes Yasmin, and it''s supposed to be one of the best treatments of severe PMS or PMDD. After searching through some messageboards on this BCP, I read that most doctors do recommend a period of about 3 months for your body to adjust to the pill. I feel like I''m too impatient!

I''m tempted by the progesterone cream. But when I brought it up with one of my coworkers, she said it can have some bad side effects if you''re not VERY careful with it. Is this true?

 

[Odilia]

Date: 6/7/2006 5:28:38 PM
Author: JenStone
I''m tempted by the progesterone cream. But when I brought it up with one of my coworkers, she said it can have some bad side effects if you''re not VERY careful with it. Is this true?

I don''t think that''s true at all. You hear these things about the more safe, natural remedies, but it''s usually nonsense. If anything, the pill is wwwaaaayyyyy more harmful with the side effects than the prog. cream. (But pharmaceutical companies don''t make lots of money on the more natural remedies.) I''ve never heard anything about harmful side effects of prog. cream whether in studies or personally of people that I''ve known used it. Plus I''ve never had doctors warn me about such when they prescribed it. What kind of bad side effects? Does she know of any personally, or of any real studies? But don''t take my word for it; I am no expert. You can do the research. (Again I am assuming this is all just to alleviate PMS & cramps & other such ailments). That book I referred to above was written by reputable doctors, experts in the field, and they highly recommend the natural progesterone cream. They have a list in the back of the book of good sources for it, and they also have in one of the chapters, advice on how best to use it. (But it''s not complicated, and they don''t warn of bad side effects, I don''t think. ) If anything, the progesterone cream might just not be enough to alleviate things; dietary changes might be need too, or other factors too. I hope this is helpful! Good luck.

 

[dani13]

JenStone-

I myself have taken several BCP''s in the past, and I am also a women''s health nurse practitioner. So hopefully I can shed some light on this topic....

BCP''s are a common treatment for women who complain of heavy/irregular periods, cramping, and pain. The idea is that your body will adjust itself to the levels of estrogen/progesterone that the pills give you and eventually side effects will be minimal...However, this "trial" period when your body is adjusting to these new levels (which may be more or less than what you normally make) is about 3 months. Meaning: try to give the pill some time- the side effects will most likely lessen up during this time.

The most common side effects we as practitioners hear the most about when it comes to bcp''s are: weight gain, nausea, bloating, headaches, and breakthrough bleeding. If a woman has these effects, they are most common during the first few months of initiating the medication. After that, evidence shows that there is a significant decrease in these less desirable effects. That is why we recommend waiting the 3 months.

On another note, with the use of the pill, you will most likely have shorter, less painful periods, along with other good effects

, which is always a beautiful thing. So, if you can wait, then go for it. If you find yourself miserable with this specific pill during the trial period, then contact your MD/practitioner and let them know. There are so many different pills on the market now, each having their own formulation of hormones in different dosages, it most often comes down to trial and error...you just have to find one that works for you, and sometimes that takes time...

I do find a lot of patients like the NuvaRing, it is VERY low dose, and it provides a local release of the hormones, which equals less side effects because the meds dont have to pass through the liver and the rest of the systemic circulation...that is always an option too, if you are open to it...The pill you are taking (Yaz) is Berlex''s new low-dose pill(very similar to Yasmin). It is very new to the market, so most of us dont have any feedback on it yet...

Good luck, just be a little patient, and let us know how this works out!

 

[tawn]

On the "Pill" issue. Taking it continually, without taking the week break is becoming very popular and you don''t have a period which would be wonderful! You don''t have a *real* period when you''re on the pill anyway. You just have a period of breakthrough bleeding...

There is a lot of info on it lately! And, you take a low dose pill, but they do need to be the mono-phase pill...meaning that they are the same strength all month long, rather than the Tri-phasal which change in strength each week!

 

[Matata]

Date: 6/7/2006 1:16:37 PM
Author:JenStone

People who know me well can attest to the fact that I get very hormonal during that special time of the month. My eyes well up with tears at sappy commercials. I crave chocolate, when usually I can''t stand the stuff. I gain 5 lbs every month (no kidding here). And I have unbearable cramps, which seem to be getting worse and worse every time. The past two months, I actually had to take sick days because I was not able to peel myself from a fetal position at the corner of my bed.

So last month, I finally went to the doctor. She said everything physically seemed to be in order, and prescribed some birth control pills.

Same symptoms happened to me; doc recommended BC pills and they helped immediately for a few months and then everything got exponentially worse. So I went to a clinic that specifically deals with women''s issues, had a blood test and found that I was overproducing estrogen and was waaaaaaay low on progesteron and testosterone. I was initially prescribed DHEA (regulates some kind of brain hormone that regulates another -- can''t remember which), progesterone drops, testosterone cream and estrogen cream. I was monitored every 3 months and after the first check-up stopped taking the estrogen and testosterone and everything is great. And, the hormones are plant derived and made individually for me at a compounding pharmacy.

Moral of story....BC pills don''t address all of the possibilities. If you have a provider in your area that will do a test to measure your hormone levels, you might be able to find relief through other means.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 6/7/2006 5:28:38 PM
Author: JenStone
I''m taking Yaz.

2 of my friends had the same problems with yazmine. made them both of them feel psyco as well

they switched to ortho tri-cyclen -low and didn''t experience any of the symptoms they did with the Yaz.

 

[JCJD]

My first month on the Patch was highly emotional - I cried a lot - I cried to a photographer on the phone in the 2nd week and had cramps the first 2 months (I''ve been blessed with no cramps). The next few months were much better. Then, I switched from the patch to Desogen pills (all the FDA warnings), which made me gain weight because I was craving sweets ALL the time on it. I was on it for the 3 month period and wasn''t happy with it, so my Gyn switched type of pill I was on. Now I''m on Ortho-Tri-Cyclin Lo, which is a different type of progesterone precursor than desogen, and I''ve had no cravings. At first my boobs HURT and I had some spotting in the week before my period, but I''m on month 4 and everything''s working fine. There are so many diff types of pills on the market, you should be able to find one that your body chemistry meshes with.

Soapbox time... I don''t have any experience with progesterone creams, but I will say that just because something is described as "natural" doesn''t necessarily mean it will be good for you. Carbon monoxide is natural, but that doesn''t mean you should breathe it.

Nothing against any of the homeopathic remedies, they can certainly be quite helpful, but one shouldn''t blindly go for the natural approach without researching it and listening to their body for any side effects. I guess what I''m saying is just be careful with any and all medicines and remedies, homeopathic, pharmaceutical, or otherwise. *Off my soapbox*

 

[Scooba]

Ortho Tri Cyclen and Aleese made me a completely INSANE, like depressed and wanting to kill someone and crying all day long, I have taken Yasmin for years and I love it (no cramps, no bloating, I can take actives months in a row and skip periods, etc.) so I guess everyone is different.

I wouldn''t worry about the weight if that is your main concern it may just be water (Yasmin is a mild diuretic so don''t have this problem) because new research says that no pills directly cause weight gain.

I would try a different pill, the ones that were bad for me were so bad I wasn''t willing to give my body time to adjust.

 

[diamondfan]

I can no longer take the pill since my doc is really against it in women over 35, even though I do not smoke.

The weight gain issue has been sort of disputed as the pill causing weight but rather that it might increase your appetite so you might eat more than normal. I do not think there is direct evidence that what is in the pill itself causes the weight gain by itself...small comfort, but better than the other reasoning...

I think that the pill can work well, but it can be a trial and error thing. They put me on it as a young teen, I started menstruating at 11 and my cycles by 12 or 13 were debilitating, I was in bed for a couple days with a hot water bottle and prescription pain meds, in a ball of pain. It freaked my mother out so she took me to her ob/gyn (I was still seeing our pediatrician at the time, had not really considered going to an ob/gyn til then)... I took so many when I was younger, tri cyclen, norinyl, tri norinyl, yasmin, demulen, ovulen, tri cyclen low,tri phasil, I think I tried ALL of them at one point in time or another...and had something awful with each one...breakouts, massive headaches, terrible nausea...you name it...I am not sorry to be off it but you need to be honest with your doctor...if you cannot wait it out, see what the other options are out there that work in your life. I am past having kids now, have three and am done, so I had a tubal ligation, which is obviously not an option for a young woman who wants kids. It will all work out, just be patient and trust your gut instinct too!

 

[galeteia]

I''m on Yasmin. I''ve struggled with different pills for over two years now, but other BC options just aren''t an option for me. (I''ll spare you the details)

I was on Min-Ovral, with was mood swings GALORE. A nightmare. Breaking down in class, molehills were mountains... it was brutal. Then I was put onto Alesse, which not only caused Edema (you can google it) that I am STILL trying to undo, it also dropped my ''drive'' into NEGATIVE integers. It was unbelievable. I went from being your mythic Scorpio to someone repulsed by the idea of ever being touched again, by anyone, even a hug from a friend. Bizzare.

So now it''s Yasmin. I had a lumpy time for the first three months, but it''s settled down a little. My ''drive'' is still considerably lower than it normally is (much to the dismay of my FF) but at least it''s still there at all. It still maintains the Edema problem though, which is apparently bad enough to endanger my health if I was preggers.

Those three months are rough though, I know!