Ladies Only: The Pill & Weight Gain/Loss

SunnyLuc87
SunnyLuc87 Posts: 60
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been told two different stories when it comes to how the pill can effect your weight. I have been told that it CAN cause weight gain and that it CAN'T, and that the notion that the pill causes weight gain is a myth or excuse. Also, I have read somewhere that certain types are more likely to cause weight gain than others. I wanted to post a board where others can discuss their own experiences and knowledge about the relationship between birth control and weight and maybe help me sort this mystery out, or at least gain a little perspective.

Now for the personal issues that prompted me to post:

I have lost weight in the past by eating a calorie controlled diet & exercising. This time around I thought, "I've done it before and I can do it again!" However, it's like I have a whole new body and my body just isn't responding the same way. I've tried almost everything that I consider reasonable. I lose a little here and there, but I don't think it should be this hard.

I started trying to lose weight at the beginning of September, which happens to be exactly when my doctor switched my birth control from a tri-phasic pill (tri-sprintec, generic for ortho tri-cylen) to a monophasic pill, mononessa (Which I think is generic for Ortho Cyclen). The reason for the switch is that the triphasic caused me major problems. I'll leave it at that, but the triphasic pills never seemed to have any effect on my weight, or my ability to lose weight.

I had been on Ortho Cyclen a few years ago, and it made me so sick when I first started taking it (throwing up every day) that I thought I was pregnant! I also gained 15 pounds very fast with no other dietary or lifestyle changes. When I got my prescription from the pharmacy, I thought "Oh, no!" as soon as I saw it but I took my doctor's advice and took it anyway. I haven't been quite as sick this time, but it has made me nauseous. The nausea has faded in the second month, but no matter how hard I try I cannot lose any weight since I started this birth control.

Is it possible that Mononessa can be what's making this so hard?

Has anyone had a similar experience?

And has anyone specifically been on Ortho Cyclen or Mononessa?

Replies

  • bell17201
    bell17201 Posts: 2
    I was on the pill my doctor said It is a lower dose of hormones and that I would lose weight better but I got my period so bad I could not stand and any over the counter asperin and midol would not help I had to swich back to the depo shot - I have gained 71 lbs being on the depo and I have had gastric bypass I lost 100lbs with gastric bypass since 2008 when I had it but here is the kicker being on the depo shot the past 2years mostly I have gained 65plus lbs back and both my surgen and my womens care doctor agree the hormones pack on the pounds I was recommended by my dieatition and surgen to get on this site to track my caleries and try harder but my regular doctor and womens care doctor say it is almost a draw when it comes to hormone injections like the depo, the lowest form is the pill or use a condom and good luck - ps just dont' give up or use the pill as a excuse for your gaining weight you have to be aware and accountable for what you are eatting and drinking/.
  • rubixcyoob
    rubixcyoob Posts: 395
    I had been at a plataeu for 4/5 months before starting the pill (microgynon 30) and I am at said same plataeu 7/8 months after starting the pill.

    No weight gain, no change from before the pill was introduced.
  • dream_big
    dream_big Posts: 75 Member
    You may need to try a variety of different pills before you find the best for you. The different hormone levels on each effect everyone differently. I myself am on ortho tricyclean low and find that it works really well for me.
  • Coralia82
    Coralia82 Posts: 1 Member
    Hello ladies,
    I'have been on Microgynon for about 5-6 years and I found that my weight is just completely stuck to 60kgs with a slight margin of + or - 1.5kg. For instance, at Christmas, I'll go up to about 61.5 kgs and if I go on a diet (like the 5:2 fasting diet which I have now been on for 6 weeks), I'll go no lower than 58.8 kgs. Also my body seems to pile on the weight in the 2 or 3 days between fast days when I eat normally (as in, no excess, just being reasonable and with regard to my TDEE) so that I manage to successfully put on 1 kg in two days! I also do cardio exercise 2-3 times a week (20mns on Mondays and Thursdays, fast days, first thing in the morning and 30 mns-1h at the week-end) so this is all very frustrating. Although I don't really have much weight to lose and my BMI is completely normal, I feel I have no control over what my body is doing. I used to be able to lose weight quite easily in the first year when I was on the pill but now, I just can't. I'm almost 31 years old, does that count?
    Thanks for your advice if you have any!
  • jdhoward_101
    jdhoward_101 Posts: 234 Member
    I used to be on a contraceptive pill, unfortunately i can't remember which one, and it did cause me to bloat ridiculously, to the point where i was uncomfortable all the time, and i looked and felt as if i'd put on a couple of pounds whilst i was on it; i knew it was the pill, because the scales would say i had actually lost weight during my period, and that is generally when you retain water which adds an extra pound or two. I told the doctor i wanted something different and she prescribed me Microgynon which i am currently on and i have had no problems with it.
  • BonnieFife
    BonnieFife Posts: 104 Member
    I have been on Microgynon on & off 16 years only time ive not been on it was during my pregnancies, im now for the first time no longer on it i dont know if its with age or not but i just seemed to lose a heap of weight after my last baby got back on the pill & i was stuck in a rut no weight loss. I was told because of my age & as i'd been on it for so long that i should have a break i have been slowly losing weight again :smile: It was the only pill that suited me and i think i had more water retention while taking it the only diff it made to me was lighter periods. When i was on it many years ago i had no issues with my weight. I think its our bodies that change eg. hormones/metabolism etc i dont think its just down to taking pill. I do know other methods like implants & the jag cause weight gain.
  • fionahay
    fionahay Posts: 44
    My usual pill (micrgynon 30) got changed over a year ago and the new pill caused me to get loads of spots and gain over half a stone. I switched back to my usual pill after just a month and then lost 5lbs in a week, So if you do get one that causes you to gain, just go back to the doctors and ask for a different one. With the right pill for you it should not cause you to gain weight.
  • addo88
    addo88 Posts: 2
    For me, I don't think contraceptive will get in the way of you losing weight. It's supposed to increase your appetite, not actually make you gain weight. I was on Microgynon, but it gave my terrible migraines, so I switched to the Implant. It's been great! My Mum would always think that the pill was the reason I couldn't lose weight, but it wasn't- it was just because i wasnt trying. Anyway, the penny dropped eventually and I decided to really put my mind to it. Few months later thanks to exercising properly and eating right, I have lost two and a half stone :-D So you can lose weight while you take a contraceptive!!
  • Warriorswimmer
    Warriorswimmer Posts: 1
    It's always been very easy for me to control my weight until 2 years ago when I started the depo shot. I fluctuated between about 5-8 pound gain over the course of two years--regardless of what I did--and it just became much harder to control my body, as a previous post said. I got tired of that and wanted something different, and something that would hopefully allow me control of my body (not figure--body) again. I switched to Mononessa two weeks ago and was nauseous and miserable immediately. I've felt pregnant ever since, with bloating, a huge belly, sore breast--I've even taken two pregnancy tests because I feel like I did during my two pregnancies. I checked the scale today because I looked in the mirror and realized my body looked unrecognizable. I discovered I gained 9 pounds in 1 1/2 weeks--I haven't weighed this much since my first pregnancy more than 8 years ago. I've been crying all day. It's nice to know others have had this side effect--and that I've not lost my mind--as the paperwork that comes with the prescription doesn't mention weight gain as a symptom, as far as I can tell. Needless to say, I'm done and done with this Mononessa business.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Didn't effect my weight when I was on it, didn't effect it when I was off it.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Didn't affect me either way.
  • Flutter_By
    Flutter_By Posts: 8 Member
    I never had a weight issue until I took the pill. My doctor switched my pills three times. My body has never been the same since. I'm 40 pounds heavier than I was before I started taking it. I haven't taken it for years but my body never went back to normal. Now it's a fight to lose weight.

    I tried talking to my doctor about it when I started gaining weight. His response was "you're just fat, stop putting food in your mouth." That was the last time I saw him.
  • no_day_but_2day
    no_day_but_2day Posts: 222 Member
    I was on Mononessa for about 2.5 years. I never had a problem with it. I have been trying to lose weight this past year with training for a half marathon and working out like crazy and controlling me eating (for the most part) and I gained some and lost some and I'm back at the same weight I was before. Just recently I changed lady doctors and she prescribed me orthocyclin. Now, all of a sudden, I've gained a bunch of belly fat. I checked my weight one of the days I was at the gym and I had lost a pound but for some reason, this fat around my belly has formed and I'm pissed. I will continue to cycle and run and do my strength training and I hope it goes away, but I am not sure if it's the switch in BC"s or just me.
    Kind of bummed.

    -Rachel
  • Delgadillo321
    Delgadillo321 Posts: 2
    Wow what a jerk!
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    I didn't gain weight while on the pill (on for 10 years, with breaks for pregnancies), but I did gain a few pounds (around 5), when I had to suddenly go off of it, due to it giving me a blood clot. Yes, those warnings on the package really do happen sometimes :grumble:
  • lcvaughn520
    lcvaughn520 Posts: 219 Member
    I have gone on and off of birth control a couple different times and never had it affect my weight one way or the other. I think I lucked out though, and found one that agrees with my body on the first try. I have had a couple friends who have had some serious bloating issues with certain types, others who have get really bad breakouts on certain kinds and one friend who literally went a little bit insane while taking one particular brand. But no one I've ever known has ever really had their birth control make a noticeable impact on their weight.

    I don't doubt that some brands may make you feel hungrier or more tired or something, but in that case, I think it's the extra food, not necessarily the pill that actually causes the weight gain.

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