Contraceptive pill help??

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hiimbec
hiimbec Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I've found everytime I'm on the contraceptive pill I always lose motivation, get tired easily and get hungrier. I've put on so much weight as well. I hate it. I've tested it multiple times by going off for a few months then going back on and I've found it's not just a condescendence that I'm gaining weight and losing energy around the same time I start taking the pill. The only reason I'm on it is to stop acne, but there are plenty of other methods to help reduce my acne. Should I stop taking it or are there any methods (besides eating less, sleeping more, etcetc) to stop feeling so exhausted all the time and gaining weight? I'm not eating more calories than I usually would.

Replies

  • kw1452
    kw1452 Posts: 113 Member
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    Have you been on the same pill over and over? There are tons of contraceptive methods out there. I've tried several pills, the patch, the ring, and the shot. Love the shot the most, because I completely stopped having a menstral cycle, but it made me voraciously hungry. Took weeks, maybe a few months before the hunger went away.

    I'm currently on the ring and am having some hunger, but not as bad as the shot. But no other real side effects that would affect my dieting. I've never gained weight on any of my contraceptive methods, except for the shot.

    You should try other methods. Talk to your Gyno about options and what you want out of your method (reduced cramps, no periods, less headaches, ease of use, whatever).

    Also - I have acne too (at age 26) and I have NEVER found a contraceptive that even remotely helped. I'm currently working on juicing and eating a more plant-based diet, which is known to really help skin problems.
  • Animebride2015
    Animebride2015 Posts: 37
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    The only think that has helped me are the etc.,etc. etc. i work out 5-6 days a week for a hour a day, i drink plenty of water and i watch what i eat. I will admit i will have the slip up sometimes but i just go back to the healthy eating.
  • kw1452
    kw1452 Posts: 113 Member
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    One of my friends found out that the hormones in the different contraceptives was literally making her fat - some weird way her body reacted to them. We were afraid she had a thyroid problem until she got a battery of tests.

    Her doctor gave her an IUD that has no hormones. Thats another option, but they wont give it to you without good reason unless you've had kids because they can be alittle dangerous. But its a non-hormonal contraceptive.
  • tayloryay
    tayloryay Posts: 378 Member
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    You might not be giving your body enough time to adjust to the different hormone levels. I'd say either try and stay on it for longer (6 months or so, maybe) or try a different pill.

    If you're taking it for acne, non-hormonal methods aren't an option. Unless you want to have a contraceptive for the more traditional reason and use something else for your acne. I had terrible acne as a teenager and while the pill helped a little, I still had to go to a dermatologist.
  • katieshkins
    katieshkins Posts: 9
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    Can you try a low or no hormone method? I am planning to get off of hormones after my first kid for a variety of reasons, but I think the hormones are making weight management worse for me with my thyroid problems. Unfortunately hormones are the only thing that can control my acne, but it seems like a worthy thing to give up for the benefits.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    I have always struggled with acne. I recently switched to the Clear and Balanced line of skin care products from Philosophy and my skin looks better than ever before. If you don't need BC for other reasons, maybe give something like that a shot instead. If they have a store near you go in and get some free samples before you buy. You can probably also get samples at Ulta.
  • SashleyA
    SashleyA Posts: 122 Member
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    One of my friends found out that the hormones in the different contraceptives was literally making her fat - some weird way her body reacted to them. We were afraid she had a thyroid problem until she got a battery of tests.

    Her doctor gave her an IUD that has no hormones. Thats another option, but they wont give it to you without good reason unless you've had kids because they can be alittle dangerous. But its a non-hormonal contraceptive.

    The part about them not giving you IUDs before you have had kids is not entirely true anymore. It does vary case by case, but I know people who have not had kids and have non hormonal IUDs and it's becoming more common.

    If you're really only on it to stop acne, talk to a dermatologist about other options and your gyno about stopping it or about a different, maybe lower hormone pill (depending what you're on now). I had bad acne for a long time and went through several medications that were pretty effective, but had to stop them for one reason or another (either cost or sun intolerance). I've found that my pill mildly helps it, but is nothing compared to the medication that I was on.
  • mmcdonald700
    mmcdonald700 Posts: 116 Member
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    I have found that the pill cleared my skin up (or so I think) but it took about six months on the pill for my skin to stop breaking out a lot from switching (I was previously on Yaz which immediately cleared my skin up but gave me migraines) and two years for my skin to get reliably clear. I don't know if this is a result of the pill, or if it's just aging but I'm afraid to go off now! However, I have no negative side effects. I have only struggled with low-moderate acne, when moderate I was able to manage it with products like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid in later years - if you can do the topical approach I recommend it (you can get higher concentrated formulas from a doctor's prescription). If your acne is quite severe, several of my friends did take accutane and they were lucky and didn't have deadly side effects. It's a very serious medication and it's very hard on your liver and teratogenic (causes birth defects in fetuses) so you can't drink while taking it and you have to sign a waiver that says you will use 2 forms of birth control (so you need to take oral contraceptives as a female) - but the doses are usually for 10-12 weeks max and then you're in remission. Some people do come out of remission later and need to go back on or a different form of treatment. But it can cause people to get some serious side effects including mental health issues (namely depression, suicidal thoughts) - so be careful! Good luck!
  • hiimbec
    hiimbec Posts: 2
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    Wow thankyou so much for replying! My acne isn't terribly bad or anything, it's mostly just scars now. The pill I'm on at the moment stops me from having my period (which is another main reason I don't want to stop taking it). I think I may try a different pill (my mother tried the pill I'm currently on and gained weight but she changed to a different one and she's had no side effects). Thankyou again :)
  • adelahorn36
    adelahorn36 Posts: 2 Member
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    You can find a full list of contraceptives together with their descriptions here: http://motherhow.com/what-is-contraception-the-main-methods-of-contraception/

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