Why, Birth control, why??? So I'm back here again.

TeyaSweet
TeyaSweet Posts: 18 Member
edited November 8 in Introduce Yourself
TL;DR put on 50 pounds after starting new birth control. Don't recognize myself in the mirror. Help.

Female 5 feet tall,
(start weight 130 bwh 36 22 38)
(Current weight 180 bwh 48 36 50)

For starters, I absolutely love my body. It Took me a very long time to get to that point. Even though I gain weight easily, It goes mostly to my bum (which I have no problem with) my waist stays small, my stomach stays flat, and I enjoy my overall hourglass figure. I'm very thankful for the body I have, regardless of how much weight is on it. Even though I've always struggled with weight, it was never more than an extra 20 pounds or so. I would fluctuate between 130 and 150 every couple months but it was never a huge issue. Losing weight wasn't ever much of an issue. My dislike of exercise and love of sweets is the only reason I gain weight anyway.

I've used mfp with great success in the past, But things are different this time, sadly.
A few months ago after the usual 'get in shape for warm weather' weight loss spur, my doctor put me on a new birth control and told me to expect rapid weight gain. I was ok with this thinking an extra 15 isn't too bad considering the trade off. Well after the first week my clothes were getting tight and I had gained an alarming amount of weight in such a short time. I changed my moderation diet to a more determined weight loss diet to try an combat this new weight gain.
After 3 months, my weight evened out and I stopped gaining. I weighed in more than I ever had in my entire life. At 185 pounds, even my boyfriend's old large shirts were getting tight. I now have bright red stretch marks all over, difficulty moving around, back problems in the lumbar region, excessive body sweat and odor (ew), uneven red skin all over my body but mostly in my face, I feel sick and weak, my ankles are swollen, my energy is low, and I overall just feel awful. I've been 'fat' but never to this point. I don't recognize myself at all.
I've managed to lose a few pounds since the stabilization, but it's so much more difficult than losing weight has ever been for me. I have so much to lose, it's intimidating. I don't know where to begin and I just feel so hopeless. I need help finding motivation.

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I know of no contraceptive that causes such rapid and large weight gain, in fact most contraceptives have no effect on weight despite public perception to the contrary

    That said, what kind of doctor prescribes this? Change contraceptive or if not, doctors

    Bizarre in the extreme
  • chadya07
    chadya07 Posts: 627 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I know of no contraceptive that causes such rapid and large weight gain, in fact most contraceptives have no effect on weight despite public perception to the contrary

    That said, what kind of doctor prescribes this? Change contraceptive or if not, doctors

    Bizarre in the extreme

    i was just reading an article (not gospel just an article in a magazine so cant vouch for its truth) that only the shot has been found to actually cause weight gain.

    although hormose changes can influence... behavior. is my guess.

  • TeyaSweet
    TeyaSweet Posts: 18 Member
    I think it's called Junel Fe or loestren (same thing but ones a brand name) it's the kind where you get a monthly period but it's regulated with 7 days light flow and no pain. When I asked my doctor why I was gaining weight she said the hormones were acting as if my body was pregnant (which was actually my first fear). I'm not a scientist so I won't pretend to understand the nuances of what's happening, but Since I'm no longer gaining weight, and my once nightmarish menses is a thing of the past, I have no plans on stopping medication. Now I just need to wrap my head around how I plan on losing all this weight. :(
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    but there are millions of other options that all surpress natural periods and give breakthrough bleeding - have you tried any other options?

    50lbs in 3 months is not, to me, an acceptable 'side-effect' and a doctor's glib response to this would concern me
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    here - if you're interested

    webmd.com/drugs/condition-2491-Dysmenorrhea.aspx?diseaseid=2491&diseasename=Dysmenorrhea&source=0
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    but there are millions of other options that all surpress natural periods and give breakthrough bleeding - have you tried any other options?

    50lbs in 3 months is not, to me, an acceptable 'side-effect' and a doctor's glib response to this would concern me

    i would have to agree... i am on the pill, i didnt gain an ounce of weight with it... theres more than one type of pill you could take.
  • TeyaSweet
    TeyaSweet Posts: 18 Member
    I had considered that implant thing. A friend of mine suggested it but the whole four periods a years freaked me out. Maybe I'll look into it again. I'm kinda afraid to change anything since I've finally managed to get a handle on my weight and have been seeing slight improvements.

    I stick to 1000-1200 calories a day. I don't exercise, just the normal amount of walking to the train station or the grocery store. On weekends I'll sometimes eat up to maintenance calories, but generally nothing over 1500. I HAVE been drinking more beer lately, but I still count those calories. At most I'll have two a night but that's more than the none I used to have. I also can't afford more than three beers total a week so in all it's not life altering. Perhaps my body just doesn't like all the alcohol? I stopped eating a lot of other sugars since in I no longer have an oven and can't bake cookies all the time. I was kind of hoping this weight gain was a normal thing and there would be a myriad of people who have had the problem and lost the weight. Oh well.
  • TeyaSweet
    TeyaSweet Posts: 18 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    here - if you're interested

    webmd.com/drugs/condition-2491-Dysmenorrhea.aspx?diseaseid=2491&diseasename=Dysmenorrhea&source=0

    Oh wow, that's a lot.
  • mjrkearney
    mjrkearney Posts: 408 Member
    I think I'd rather fall off the wagon than wind up pregnant. Once you fight back to your goal weight, you don't also have a child.
  • LouisianaHotSauce_93
    LouisianaHotSauce_93 Posts: 184 Member
    OrthoEvra birth control patch! That stuff works! Love it! No side effects! You wear on for a week! Change the patch once a week! And the third week no patch then you have your period! So easy peasy!
  • TeyaSweet
    TeyaSweet Posts: 18 Member
    mjrkearney wrote: »
    I think I'd rather fall off the wagon than wind up pregnant. Once you fight back to your goal weight, you don't also have a child.

    Lol I know for a fact I'm never getting pregnant. If this is how my body handles birth control hormones, there's no way I'm struggling with pregnancy. It'd be 100x worse! At least when I've put on an extra 20 before it was because of eating too much delicious food. This is just depressing. But rejoining mfp has given me hope for my new journey. Looking at all the successful people (and my past journal entries from ages ago) I feel better. Thankyou all for your help and support (And showing me I should change medication)
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
    I don't think the birth control is to blame for that rapid weight gain. That's a lot for a side-effect and many birth-controls you don't gain that substantial amount of weight, people just usually end up overeating and think it's the birth control. You should probably check with your doctor either way.
  • NZblue
    NZblue Posts: 147 Member
    I am sooo glad to read this. The first time I started the pill, I gained 17kg in about nine months. (Loette. Meant to have the most minimal weight effects.)

    I came off, and easily lost. No dietary or exercise changes, either way. (I used to have a pretty stable weight prior. And ate healthy, and ran most days.)

    I got pregnant about 10kg lighter than coming off.

    While I was breastfeeding, I lost 12kg, then I started Noriday and gained 20kg in six months. Whilst still trying actively to lose weight.

    You are definitely not alone!!!! xox
  • NZblue
    NZblue Posts: 147 Member
    I am back working my butt off to lose weight. =) And have lost 1.8kg. In a month of no pill.
  • TeyaSweet
    TeyaSweet Posts: 18 Member
    NZblue wrote: »
    I am sooo glad to read this. The first time I started the pill, I gained 17kg in about nine months. (Loette. Meant to have the most minimal weight effects.)

    I came off, and easily lost. No dietary or exercise changes, either way. (I used to have a pretty stable weight prior. And ate healthy, and ran most days.)

    I got pregnant about 10kg lighter than coming off.

    While I was breastfeeding, I lost 12kg, then I started Noriday and gained 20kg in six months. Whilst still trying actively to lose weight.

    You are definitely not alone!!!! xox

    I suddenly feel less insane! I was starting to wonder if I was eating extra food in my sleep. There was nothing more horrifying than doing the normal things you to do lose weight, only to gain. Did you add in extra exercise? I haven't bothered but maybe this time I'll need that extra push.
  • PhoenixEve
    PhoenixEve Posts: 131 Member
    Changing hormone levels can throw of the balance of other hormones. Have you had your thyroid levels checked lately? Since your meds changed? Some of your symptoms sound like possible hypothyroidism.
  • TeyaSweet
    TeyaSweet Posts: 18 Member
    PhoenixEve wrote: »
    Changing hormone levels can throw of the balance of other hormones. Have you had your thyroid levels checked lately? Since your meds changed? Some of your symptoms sound like possible hypothyroidism.

    I've never had my thyroid checked, I don't think. I get blood work done once a year, though. I think I just need a visit to my doctor.
  • lulu824515
    lulu824515 Posts: 3
    you are not insane. I gained weight while on a particular birth control. My OBGYN did say it was one of the reported side effects, just before we made the switch to a copper (non-hormone) IUD. Additionally, I noticed that no matter what I did, the weight never really seemed to come off while I was on that particular pill. Six months post-IUD, I've dropped over 30 lbs, and it's still coming off. I would switch the birth control you're on, and definitely up your exercise to get your body jump-started into the "new regime".

    And good luck!
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