Seasonale/Jolessa/Quasense

[DivaDiamond007]

Is anybody here taking Seasonale, Jolessa (generic) or Quasence (also generic)? I did a search and found an old thread that Robbie started.

I am switching to Jolessa next month and want to know what your experiences have been with it. I did a general search on Yahoo and yielded nothing but horror stories. I''m not sure how believable some of the stories were since they all sounded like the same person wrote the comments! I found a smaller thread on PS about how many women spot and have breakthrough bleeding on Seasonale due to the low hormones in the pill.

Right now I''m on the generic of Mircette, called Kariva, and I like it very much. However, I do not like getting my period and I found out recently that Seasonale is now available as a generic so I called my OB/GYN and asked him to call it in for me.

Like Seasonale, Mircette is also a low-dose pill and I''ve never had any issues with it. My period comes like clockwork with minimal cramping and no spotting before or after. Comparing the labels of the two pills shows that they both have the same amount of progeterone and Seasonale has a slightly larger amount of estrogen. Does this decrease my liklihood of spotting and breakthrough bleeding?

I''d love to hear PS''ers experiences with Seasonale.

Diva

 

[blackpolkadot]

I took Quasense.. for about 2 months before I got tired of the bloating, cramping, bleeding mess I had become. I, too, researched and thought all the information I found couldn't all be true because I had no crazy symptoms. Then about 2 weeks in it all started. After 2 months I couldn't take it anymore and just stopped taking the pills. I called the doctor and she told me it takes time to adjust, blah, blah, blah. Sorry, I wasn't just going to keep skipping school because I couldn't move- I cramped so bad medicine didn't help.

I now am on Lo Estrin 24 Fe and so far that has treated me well!

ETA: I like Lo Estrin because my period lasts only 1.5 days! I might have one every month, but it's short.

 

[Resonance.Of.Life]

Seasonale did not affect me other than curing the spotting I was getting on my other birth control pill, Levora (sp?).

I loved it. My periods were normal when they came at the end of each pack, but the cramping was definitely lessened. The only thing that was weird about being on seasonale was that for some odd reason I''d "grow" up a cup size when I was on it. No bloating, no weight gain, ect that some people might get.

 

[oobiecoo]

I took Seasonale and didn''t like it. My moods improved drastically after I quit taking it. Ex-cousin-in-law got pregnant while taking it and I''ve heard of lots of others that also happened to... Since you only get your period every 3 months or whatever, she wasn''t even sure WHEN she actually got pregnant and it caused a bit of confusion.

 

[laine]

I was on Levora (also known as Levlen, Nordette, Portia, and maybe others) for years before switching to Jolessa, which is the same pill, just packaged differently.

I always took two packs of the Levora back to back with no period (so 6 weeks off, then 1 week of period). I currently take 8 weeks of hormone pills, then a week off for a period (rather than the 12 weeks that are packaged--I'm more comfortable going 8 rather than 12 weeks, and the longer I go, the more spotting I tend to have). I occasionally have some spotting in the middle, but just for one day, and a pantyliner takes care of it (sorry if thats TMI). I also usually have some minor cramping the day my period starts, but two advil take care of it (also had this on Levora)

But, keep in mind that switching to Jolessa really wasn't a switch for me, it was basically the same thing I had been taking before, so if I was happy with my pills before, I was gonna be happy with Jolessa.

If you really like the pills you're on now, you could consider bi-cycling them, which is taking two packs back to back with no sugar pills in between. Talk to your doctor--this is ok with many but not all pills. The one problem with this is it uses more than the 13 packs that insurance usually covers. If you can get free samples or are willing to pay for the extra packs, then it'll be fine. Cost was the reason I switched to Jolesssa.

 

[laine]

Just looked up Mircette and apparently the period week pills which are usually placebo/sugar pills have hormone in them, which means you probably can''t just skip them and bi-cycle. Also, while both Mircette and Jolessa are low-dose, they do include different hormones, so you may react to them differently.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I LOVE Seasonale! I was on it for a year or two before I got preggo. I never had *ANY* problems. As soon as I stopped BFing I went back on it. Every single doctor I talked to said it was perfectly healthy to only have 4 periods a year. Plus it is much more enjoyable for me! I only spotted one time and it was my fault since I forgot two pills. The periods I do have are very short and lighter. I didn''t know they made a generic! Probably would save me money.

 

[coda72]

I have been on Seasonale since it first came out without any problems. When the generic version came out I switched to that, and still no problems ever with spotting or cramping. I never experienced any weight gain or bloating either. The only problem I noticed is that I developed melasma, but that can happen with any pill. I''ve been on the pill for 15 years and the melasma just seemed to develop in the past few years, so I thought it might be the Seasonale, but I have no way of knowing.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Coda, I am curious...how much cheaper is the generic?

 

[coda72]

Tacori, I have a prescription plan, so I don''t know the real prices of either pill, but I pay $90 for a 3 month supply of Seasonale, and $30 for a 3 month supply of Jolessa. I would imagine the actual price reflects that same ratio.

 

[laine]

Tacori, I am charged 68.50 for the Jolessa, 3 month supply (before insurance). Its a university pharmacy, so the price may vary elsewhere, but I think its probably the "real" price.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Coda, wow that is a huge difference! Good to know.

 

[lovesparklies]

Another fan of Seasonale/Jolessa here. I took Seasonale for a couple of years with absolutely no problems and then was given Jolessa at the pharmacy one time without asking for the generic so I googled it for more information and saw all those scary stories that Diva read. I was nervous at first because of that but I''ve had no problems with Jolessa either. My periods are lighter and only come every 3 months -- it''s great!

 

[Lillers]

Hi,

Although I don''t want to give away too much personal information here, I work in a profession that deals with prescription drugs

The main side effect of Seasonale (or any of the generics-they''re equivalent) is spotting between periods. Its not harmful in any way, but a lot of women don''t like it because its unpredictable.
The dose of estrogen (ethinyl estradiol) is low, but you can also have breakthrough bleeding on high estrogen pills as well. Its just more common to have "bleeding abnormalities" on lower dose pills.
In terms of efficacy, the most important thing is taking each pill at the same time every day.
Honestly, the best way to choose a form of the pill is to try it. Each woman reacts differently. Thats why there are so many different pills to choose from! The balance of estrogen and progesterone in the different formulations affects people in unique ways.
Good luck with the Seasonale! Let us know how it turns out

PS: If you are still "trying" out different brands, don''t get three months at a time of your pills. Your insurance reimbursement will turn into a nightmare when you try to refill early because you''re switching!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Thank you all for your replies

I will be starting on the Jolessa in about 3 weeks - when my current pack of Kariva runs out. Like I said, I''ve had no problems with it, I just want to lessen the number of periods I have per year.

Reasonance - I could only wish that my (*)(*) grow a cup size on Jolessa!

Oobie - Yikes! That is pretty scary!

Laine - I''ve considered doing that, but I think the insurance issues would be a pain in the butt. If the Jolessa doesn''t work out then I will do that for sure with the Kariva.

Tacori - Jolessa cost me $10.00 for a 3-month supply compared to $20.00 for Kariva for a 1-month supply. I don''t know why the Kariva is twice as much.

Coda and Lovesparkles - Yay - some people that have good things to say about it!! I was getting worried for a bit!

Lillers - So....since Kariva and Jolessa are both low dose and I''m not currently having any issues with spotting do you think, in your professional opinion, that I''d have problems with the Jolessa? I know that everyone reacts differently to different pills, but I''m just trying to be prepared

. I am a good patient and take my pill at the same time everyday, adjusting for daylight savings time twice a year.

Keep the responses coming, ladies!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Diva, I was on Seasonale/Jolessa for a number of years. I started taking it right after it came out. I was like, "Only four periods a year??? Sign me up!!!" LOL!

I have to say, I absolutely LOVED it! I never had any problems at all, other than the minor spotting that some people have already mentioned, which did go away completely after I''d been on it for a while. Once your body gets used to the prescription, you shouldn''t have any spotting at all (or very little anyway). But, it''s definitely helpful to take it at the same time every day, which it sounds like you would have no problem doing.

The only reason I stopped taking Seasonale is because I switched to Lybrel, which you just take continuously with no periods at all! I like that even better! And I''ve done really well with the Lybrel . . . it hasn''t caused any spotting or other side effects either.

 

[kittybean]

Date: 1/25/2009 12:37:11 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl

The only reason I stopped taking Seasonale is because I switched to Lybrel, which you just take continuously with no periods at all! I like that even better! And I''ve done really well with the Lybrel . . . it hasn''t caused any spotting or other side effects either.

You can do this with many of the pills (disclaimer: I am not a doctor or pharmacist and am just passing on what my doctor told me). I take the generic version of Nortrel, which only costs me about $20/pack (insurance does not pay for BC), and I cycle continuously, without taking the placebo pills for the last week. It works really well for me. I love having no periods, and I haven''t really experienced breakthrough bleeding on this particular pill, whereas I had issues galore with it on other BC pills. Four periods a year is an improvement on 12 or 13, but nothing beats zero periods, in my opinion!

 

[split_shank]

I am currently on the generic Seasonale, called Seasonique. Didn''t have any breakthrough bleeding, but I do seem to start my period about 3 days before my 12 weeks (or however long the active pills last) are up. Not a big deal, and is very light and tolerable. I guess the only side effect is the libido thing, which was discussed in a previous thread, but I think that can be related to more than just one brand of BC.

Our work just switched insurance plans and I couldn''t be happier. After insurance, I had been paying about $95.00 out of pocket for a 3 month supply and now is only $55. Not something you are used to seeing these days!!