Birth Control Help- Desperate!!!!
Hello just looking for some helpful feedback or advice.
I have been on birth control for about 6 years. I started with Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, didn't have any problems with it. I started having serious anxiety and went into a walk in clinic with panic attack who blamed my birth control. Switched it to Lo oval, starting having bad periods so I went to a new doctor... She was upset and gave me ortho cyclen..... but not the lo....
I am so moody all the time, just mood swings like crazy. Emotional at the drop of a hat. Gained like 10 pounds. Feel nauseas all the time. Harder cramps. and now I am having headaches..... Did anybody else have this problem? I feel like I am loosing my mind! I am going to make an appointment Monday but thought id see if anybody else had problems with orth cyclen (or monessa the generic)... and if anybody have success with something else? or had success with ortho tri cyclen lo?
any feedback is greatly apperciated
I have been on birth control for about 6 years. I started with Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, didn't have any problems with it. I started having serious anxiety and went into a walk in clinic with panic attack who blamed my birth control. Switched it to Lo oval, starting having bad periods so I went to a new doctor... She was upset and gave me ortho cyclen..... but not the lo....
I am so moody all the time, just mood swings like crazy. Emotional at the drop of a hat. Gained like 10 pounds. Feel nauseas all the time. Harder cramps. and now I am having headaches..... Did anybody else have this problem? I feel like I am loosing my mind! I am going to make an appointment Monday but thought id see if anybody else had problems with orth cyclen (or monessa the generic)... and if anybody have success with something else? or had success with ortho tri cyclen lo?
any feedback is greatly apperciated
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Replies
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I was a mess too when I was on OrthoCyclen and Mononessa. Moody all the time, cravings, brittle hair and nails, migraines, pretty much everything that could go wrong. I don't remember what brand I was on before those but it was a pill, one hormone level like those, and it didn't give me the bad symptoms. After that I tried the NuvaRing and absolutely loved it except for the price being about double the pill. I now have a Mirena IUD, which I love, but of course that isn't for everybody although I'd highly recommend looking into it. I'd say to just try something besides OrthoCyclen and see how it works.
ETA: Birth control is going to be completely different just depending on your body, but basically I like the methods that centralize the hormones better than pills and what not because they seem to have fewer negative side effects.0 -
You're probably going to lol at me, but unless you need it in order to have regular periods then it's best to just come off everything for a while until your body resets. While you're trying to lose weight, logic of MFP, you are actually going through changes anyway, both hormonal & psychological. If you're just using it for sex, stop having sex, it's obviously not helping your moods (only partly joking bc women release "happy hormones" during orgasm). Vaya con Dios0
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You're probably going to lol at me, but unless you need it in order to have regular periods then it's best to just come off everything for a while until your body resets. While you're trying to lose weight, logic of MFP, you are actually going through changes anyway, both hormonal & psychological. If you're just using it for sex, stop having sex, it's obviously not helping your moods (only partly joking bc women release "happy hormones" during orgasm). Vaya con Dios
I would advise basically the exact opposite of this.
Try to get back on OTC-L. Different people have different reactions to different forms of birth control, but if that was working well I'd stick with it.0 -
I was a mess too when I was on OrthoCyclen and Mononessa. Moody all the time, cravings, brittle hair and nails, migraines, pretty much everything that could go wrong. I don't remember what brand I was on before those but it was a pill, one hormone level like those, and it didn't give me the bad symptoms. After that I tried the NuvaRing and absolutely loved it except for the price being about double the pill. I now have a Mirena IUD, which I love, but of course that isn't for everybody although I'd highly recommend looking into it. I'd say to just try something besides OrthoCyclen and see how it works.
IUD is another option, but maybe if you don't ever want kids? I've heard horror stories & they have class action suits due to perforations into cervix & puncturing organs.0 -
You're probably going to lol at me, but unless you need it in order to have regular periods then it's best to just come off everything for a while until your body resets. While you're trying to lose weight, logic of MFP, you are actually going through changes anyway, both hormonal & psychological. If you're just using it for sex, stop having sex, it's obviously not helping your moods (only partly joking bc women release "happy hormones" during orgasm). Vaya con Dios
I would advise basically the exact opposite of this.
Try to get back on OTC-L. Different people have different reactions to different forms of birth control, but if that was working well I'd stick with it.
She was having anxiety attacks on the Lo. It only takes 3 weeks (21 days) to reset lol
Again UNLESS, she needs it to regulate her cycle.0 -
I was a mess too when I was on OrthoCyclen and Mononessa. Moody all the time, cravings, brittle hair and nails, migraines, pretty much everything that could go wrong. I don't remember what brand I was on before those but it was a pill, one hormone level like those, and it didn't give me the bad symptoms. After that I tried the NuvaRing and absolutely loved it except for the price being about double the pill. I now have a Mirena IUD, which I love, but of course that isn't for everybody although I'd highly recommend looking into it. I'd say to just try something besides OrthoCyclen and see how it works.
IUD is another option, but maybe if you don't ever want kids? I've heard horror stories & they have class action suits due to perforations into cervix & puncturing organs.
It can happen, but it's incredibly rare and it is usually always due to an inexperienced doctor putting it in. I don't think I've ever heard of it disabling anyone from being able to have children though. I looked into the dangers a ton before I got mine and determined it's not any more risky than normal birth control (or not being on it at all... Terrible idea.)0 -
No, she was fine on the OTC-L, her issues were in the lo-orval and then normal OTC.You're probably going to lol at me, but unless you need it in order to have regular periods then it's best to just come off everything for a while until your body resets. While you're trying to lose weight, logic of MFP, you are actually going through changes anyway, both hormonal & psychological. If you're just using it for sex, stop having sex, it's obviously not helping your moods (only partly joking bc women release "happy hormones" during orgasm). Vaya con Dios
I would advise basically the exact opposite of this.
Try to get back on OTC-L. Different people have different reactions to different forms of birth control, but if that was working well I'd stick with it.
She was having anxiety attacks on the Lo. It only takes 3 weeks (21 days) to reset lol
Again UNLESS, she needs it to regulate her cycle.0 -
You have to find the correct cocktail of hormones for you, or maybe try a non-hormonal BC. Have you looked into the Paraguard IUD? I had it for a while and really liked it, but it does give very intense cramping and longer, heavier periods. I had to get rid of it due to PID, and have the Nexplanon implant now. Liking it so far, but my body is still getting used to the hormonal treatment again.0
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Thank you every body! I really appreciate it!
I think my anxiety was from moving out at 17/being homeless and starting college all on my own. I was lost and I think the doctor was kinda (stupid) hate to be like that but, he put me on depression meds and it made me suicidal, told him and he kept telling me to stick it out.... (which now being 22, I understand that if you feel that way, wing yourself off.... at 17 and alone, I was like totally convienced from him)
Thank you everybody! I don't have kiddos, and not really sure about the IUD because of all the scarey stories.. I will look into the nuva ring!0 -
http://www.motleyrice.com/medical-devices/mirena-iud-lawyers?gclid=CMOO7Ii1vrwCFQxo7Aodl2AA5A
IUD is another option, but maybe if you don't ever want kids? I've heard horror stories & they have class action suits due to perforations into cervix & puncturing organs.
It can happen, but it's incredibly rare and it is usually always due to an inexperienced doctor putting it in. I don't think I've ever heard of it disabling anyone from being able to have children though. I looked into the dangers a ton before I got mine and determined it's not any more risky than normal birth control (or not being on it at all... Terrible idea.)
Sorry it wasn't the cervix, it's the Uterus that's damaged.0 -
Thank you every body! I really appreciate it!
I think my anxiety was from moving out at 17/being homeless and starting college all on my own. I was lost and I think the doctor was kinda (stupid) hate to be like that but, he put me on depression meds and it made me suicidal, told him and he kept telling me to stick it out.... (which now being 22, I understand that if you feel that way, wing yourself off.... at 17 and alone, I was like totally convienced from him)
Thank you everybody! I don't have kiddos, and not really sure about the IUD because of all the scarey stories.. I will look into the nuva ring!
The arm implant, nexaplanon, is pretty cool. I've had mine in for about a year and I kind of love it.0 -
Thank you every body! I really appreciate it!
I think my anxiety was from moving out at 17/being homeless and starting college all on my own. I was lost and I think the doctor was kinda (stupid) hate to be like that but, he put me on depression meds and it made me suicidal, told him and he kept telling me to stick it out.... (which now being 22, I understand that if you feel that way, wing yourself off.... at 17 and alone, I was like totally convienced from him)
Thank you everybody! I don't have kiddos, and not really sure about the IUD because of all the scarey stories.. I will look into the nuva ring!
Oh yeah, I have heard good things about that one. It's like the pill for your yoni
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Thank you every body! I really appreciate it!
I think my anxiety was from moving out at 17/being homeless and starting college all on my own. I was lost and I think the doctor was kinda (stupid) hate to be like that but, he put me on depression meds and it made me suicidal, told him and he kept telling me to stick it out.... (which now being 22, I understand that if you feel that way, wing yourself off.... at 17 and alone, I was like totally convienced from him)
Thank you everybody! I don't have kiddos, and not really sure about the IUD because of all the scarey stories.. I will look into the nuva ring!
I think NuvaRing has been my favorite so far! It is really convenient and has a much lower dose of hormones.
Like I said, the IUD isn't for everyone (although any risks from it are almost nonexistent if you go to a clinic that knows what they are doing). I've had it for a year and the only negative part of it was getting it put in, but it was totally worth hardly having a period and never having to remember taking a pill or anything.0 -
I swear by copper IUDs, personally. Always tolerated hormone-based contraceptives rather poorly, and the occasional irregular cycle and spotting the copper can cause is a small price to pay. Never experienced the stronger cramping or flow that some women seem to get from it, so it's definitely not a guaranteed side-effect.0
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I am an Ob/Gyn, so I'm going to put in my two cents simply because I want to help...
1) Go see an Ob/Gyn. Not a walk in clinic, not a family doc, not a naturopath, etc. If you're having "girl issues", go to the "girl doctor". We have more training that anyone else in this arena, period (pardon the pun).
2) Do NOT use Dr. Google when researching birth control EVER. I mean it. EVER. If you want good info, go to www.ACOG.org or directly to the manufacturer websites of whatever method you are looking at, then go see your Ob/Gyn and discuss why or why not your chosen method may be good (or bad) for you. Yes, they will promote their product, but they MUST, by law, include their testing results, efficacy, etc on the websites. Everyone and their Grandma (literally) has a horror story about every birth control out there, which brings me to...
3) There is NO FORM OF BIRTH CONTROL that IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN PREGNANCY. Seriously. You can look it up. Pregnancy kills.
4) Birth control pills do not "cause" anxiety or panic attacks. You HAVE anxiety and/or panic attacks and you should talk to your (regular) doctor about that. You may need therapy, coping strategies, stress reduction, different exercise routines, more sleep, anti-anxiety meds, or a change in your OCP....but your OCP is likely dead last in that list. OCPs usually make hormonal fluctuations better, not worse, although everyone is different and you may not be on the right combo for you, which can exacerbate your anxiety.
5) IUDs are actually one of the safest forms of birth control out there and serious complications from them are very, very rare. The dreaded "perforation" does occur, usually with providers who are not used to putting them in as often as the average ob/gyn does (i.e.: family practice docs, physician assistants, midwives, nurse practitioners, etc), but some do them quite frequently, so you just need to ask how comfortable they are with the process. Good providers of all types will be honest with you...body language speaks volumes. I am personally on my second IUD and I would consider nothing else...and I do this for a living.
As an aside, even if perforation does occur, it is more of an "inconvenience" than a danger. The uterus is a very thick, tough muscle. It closes right up after the IUD pokes through (think of poking a skewer through a steak and then pulling it back out....graphic, but accurate). There is usually very little, if any bleeding, and the IUD is small, soft, and inert. The "danger" comes from a) it not being in the right spot and you getting pregnant b) it moving to a spot where it gets lodged and we can retrieve it...and THEN it tries to poke something important. This would literally be a 1 in a million situation. Most of the time, they just end up floating around with your intestines and we fish them out, without incident, via laparoscopic surgery.
6) There is NO perfect form of birth control...they all have potential complications, but again.....see #3!!!!0 -
I am an Ob/Gyn, so I'm going to put in my two cents simply because I want to help...
1) Go see an Ob/Gyn. Not a walk in clinic, not a family doc, not a naturopath, etc. If you're having "girl issues", go to the "girl doctor". We have more training that anyone else in this arena, period (pardon the pun).
2) Do NOT use Dr. Google when researching birth control EVER. I mean it. EVER. If you want good info, go to www.ACOG.org or directly to the manufacturer websites of whatever method you are looking at, then go see your Ob/Gyn and discuss why or why not your chosen method may be good (or bad) for you. Yes, they will promote their product, but they MUST, by law, include their testing results, efficacy, etc on the websites. Everyone and their Grandma (literally) has a horror story about every birth control out there, which brings me to...
3) There is NO FORM OF BIRTH CONTROL that IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN PREGNANCY. Seriously. You can look it up. Pregnancy kills.
4) Birth control pills do not "cause" anxiety or panic attacks. You HAVE anxiety and/or panic attacks and you should talk to your (regular) doctor about that. You may need therapy, coping strategies, stress reduction, different exercise routines, more sleep, anti-anxiety meds, or a change in your OCP....but your OCP is likely dead last in that list. OCPs usually make hormonal fluctuations better, not worse, although everyone is different and you may not be on the right combo for you, which can exacerbate your anxiety.
5) IUDs are actually one of the safest forms of birth control out there and serious complications from them are very, very rare. The dreaded "perforation" does occur, usually with providers who are not used to putting them in as often as the average ob/gyn does (i.e.: family practice docs, physician assistants, midwives, nurse practitioners, etc), but some do them quite frequently, so you just need to ask how comfortable they are with the process. Good providers of all types will be honest with you...body language speaks volumes. I am personally on my second IUD and I would consider nothing else...and I do this for a living.
6) There is NO perfect form of birth control...they all have potential complications, but again.....see #3!!!!
Off topic --sorta : Can I say I love that you're a blonde with the name Spinderella and you're talking about sex AND baby....
Couldn't resist lol0 -
Off topic --sorta : Can I say I love that you're a blonde with the name Spinderella and you're talking about sex AND baby....
Couldn't resist lol
Yeah, I like being a blonde too (AND I have big boobs, lol). People never, EVER suspect what I do for a living. Every single day someone new, outside of work, learns I am a doctor, I get big, wide eyed stares. It's great!!
Especially in sports bars...where my hubby takes me just so he can watch me whip *kitten* at trivia in a room full of men. :bigsmile: :drinker: :laugh:0 -
I'm decent at trivia, but kick bootay in poker. I get It it's funny bc you hear the "Who is ______?!?!?" as you start taking the top spot consecutively.
What do you mean pregnancy kills btw?0 -
You're probably going to lol at me, but unless you need it in order to have regular periods then it's best to just come off everything for a while until your body resets. While you're trying to lose weight, logic of MFP, you are actually going through changes anyway, both hormonal & psychological. If you're just using it for sex, stop having sex, it's obviously not helping your moods (only partly joking bc women release "happy hormones" during orgasm). Vaya con Dios
I would advise basically the exact opposite of this.
Try to get back on OTC-L. Different people have different reactions to different forms of birth control, but if that was working well I'd stick with it.
^ This. I've taken the same birth control for 11 years, and the only time I've had issues is when a doctor switched me to a different type. I had the same symptoms--mood swings, bad cramps, etc--and switching back solved them almost immediately.0 -
I tried hormonal birth control and puked my guts out every night, had a break during the period time, and then puking all over again. Finally found a very low dose one that seemed to work at first and then ended up with nausea and headaches (not as bad as puking my guts out, but unpleasant and disruptive to my life), when I stopped I was knocked over by the cramps during my period (and I have always had mild periods). It was weird.
So, in biology, in college I learned about how to track my ovulation and only use bc methods during my fertile phase. A good book is: Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. But, you have to know what you are doing and do it right. I have never had an unplanned pregnancy and when I wanted to get pregnant, it happened immediately (however my cycles are very regular and predictable).0 -
I think you probably had the right birth control before. However, if you've been changing quickly, that could be part of the problem. I really love my lo lo estrin that I rake now. The copper iud was great for a while, but I had some period complications and really needed mine regulated.0
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What do you mean pregnancy kills btw?
I mean that pregnancy kills more women than birth control. By FAR. In this country, maternal mortality is very low and rare, thanks to modern medicine and availability of doctors. In countries without our medical resources, maternal and fetal mortality (death) can approach 50%.
Pregnancy puts extreme stress on a woman's body, which is why, biologically it is generally is supposed to occur between 15-25 years of age (our societal expectations are much different, of course...). In a healthy young women, these changes are usually compensated for and therefore, especially now, most pregnancies are successful. However, if you are unhealthy, obese, have a chronic disease (i.e.: asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc,etc, etc) your body may be unable to cope and we may have to intervene in ways to change, save, or prolong/shorten your pregnancy that were just not available 100 years ago, just to save you or your baby's life. This is so commonplace now that most women have no idea how close they, or their baby, potentially came to dying.
I challenge any woman reading this to go to a cemetary that contains gravestones from the 1700-1930s. Look at the ages on the stones for women, then look at all the tiny little graves next to them. I've done it. It is eye opening.
Most women still get pregnant willy-nilly, despite the ready availability of safe and effective birth control. We STILL have an almost 50% "unintended" pregnancy rate. It is completely baffling to me.0 -
I'm gonna chime in with praise for the Paragard IUD. I've had mine for almost two years and it's amazing. I've always had irregular cycles so I can't comment on the spotting or heavier cycles thing, but I love mine! The Paragard is the non-hormonal one, the Mirena is hormonal.0
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I have been on Ortho-Evra (the patch) and its been GREAT for me. I've been on it four years & had little to no issue with it. I gaoned weight, slightly, but I was also eating horribly at the time, and not exercising. I highly recommend it, plus you dont have to remember to take it every day.0
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I took ortho-tricyclen (regular) for about 12 years and it worked great, except for that one time (he's 10 now). I never had any problems with that one, but I switched to Yaz and I had what you are describing. Best of luck to ya.0
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I had a very similar experience. The reason why Ortho messed me up so much was because I had PCOS and my hormones were WACKY! My doctor had to introduce me to a hormone pill for about two months.
I'm now on the Nuva-ring. It might sound weird but it's really the best birth control that I've ever been on. I started it almost 2 years ago and never gained weight on it.0 -
Thank you every body! I really appreciate it!
I think my anxiety was from moving out at 17/being homeless and starting college all on my own. I was lost and I think the doctor was kinda (stupid) hate to be like that but, he put me on depression meds and it made me suicidal, told him and he kept telling me to stick it out.... (which now being 22, I understand that if you feel that way, wing yourself off.... at 17 and alone, I was like totally convienced from him)
Thank you everybody! I don't have kiddos, and not really sure about the IUD because of all the scarey stories.. I will look into the nuva ring!
The arm implant, nexaplanon, is pretty cool. I've had mine in for about a year and I kind of love it.
Me too! I was on Implanon previously, and I loved it, too.
I didn't care for the Nuva Ring. I found it to be irritating. I love my implant, though.0 -
Consider Mirena, the IUD. The hormone dose is *really* low--about as low as you can get, since the delivery isn't through the digestive system, and it will make your period much lighter.
Edit: I just saw your mention of scary IUD stories. Those are mostly from the 70s, when the technology just wasn't well thought out. They were using an overly long string that was made out of fibers that could harbor bacteria. That's not the case now. The Copper-T IUD works well for preventing pregnancy without any hormones at all *but* it will make your period heavier, so I'd think Mirena might work better. Alas, let's just say that anatomically the Ring couldn't work for me, but I won't go to the TMI place!0 -
I would question why a clinician thought ortho tri cyclen low caused your anxiety. The multiphasics supposedly have fewer side effects versus monophasic since they more closely mimic estrogen production patterns.
A low strength (20mg or less of estradiol) might be a better option; going back to ortho tri cyclen low or even lo-loestrin (the only 10mcg estradiol on the market). Btw night time dosing can also alleviate some side effects such as nausea
Were you on other meds when you had anxiety?0 -
I would question why a clinician thought ortho tri cyclen low caused your anxiety. The multiphasics supposedly have fewer side effects versus monophasic since they more closely mimic estrogen production patterns.
A low strength (20mg or less of estradiol) might be a better option; going back to ortho tri cyclen low or even lo-loestrin (the only 10mcg estradiol on the market). Btw night time dosing can also alleviate some side effects such as nausea
Were you on other meds when you had anxiety?
Oh, yeah, just want to say that I am the one that also mentioned throwing up from birth control. I took it at night (as they said that would help with the vomiting) and then I would be up puking all night. They told me to keep taking it and that it would reduce. It did not. And I stopped during the period break and even started again and was puking every night again.
Then I was put on a low dose one that did not do that to me. And that was this one that was mentioned in the quote above: lo-loestrin (the only 10mcg estradiol on the market). Thanks for reminding me of the name.
I don't know if size has anything to do with it. I only weighed 98 pounds and am petite and small framed. I was very active and fit as a professional dancer, low bodyfat (visible abs). Or may just be how I respond to hormones. I also threw up regularly for the full nine months of both my pregnancies.0
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