Ortho tri cyclen symptoms and conditions

I am a 31 year old mother of a beautiful 13 month old daughter. From the age of 15 to age 23 I was on a birth control pill (I do not remember which one...I think it was Ortho Tri-Cyclen.). When I decided to stop taking the pill at age 23, I noticed a HUGE change in my personality. I felt much better/happier and had an increased sex drive. Going forward, I decided not to take hormones if I could help it.

Prior to the birth of my daughter, we tried the diaphram with spermicide and I had a reaction to the spermicide. My boyfriend would lose his erection any time we tried condoms. I did try the NuvaRing (hormones) and HATED that; it made me feel like my head was going to explode. I ended up pregnant, had my daughter and, after the birth of my daughter, tried the copper IUD. My body rejected that and it was a bad experience. I felt like I had no other choice, but to try the birth control pill again. I approached it with a positive attitude and was hopeful.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH LOESTRIN 24:

Dear women and concerned spouses,

Today is the sixth day I have been on Loestrin 24. I started taking YAZ and had diarrhea so bad that I had to switch after day two of taking the YAZ product. On day three, I started Loestrin 24 and (like I said previously) have been on it for almost a week. I went from being energetic, happy and sensual to the polar opposite.

The signs of depression and anxiety were almost immediate, but I was trying to give it a chance. It is not worth it to me any longer, as I have been upset with my boyfriend and crying almost every day. You might think it is coincidence, but it is not. I know my body and my mind; this behavior is not me. I have not been reacting rationally and I have been extremely emotional. I am an emotional person to some degree, but this is REDICULOUS. I have a constant feeling of irrational fear in our relationship and severe anxiety. I am aware enough to recognize that these feelings are not natural and that something is wrong and the problem is NOT with me.

The first day I took Loestrin 24, I had the shakes and felt very cold. Anxiety accomodated these physical effects. The second day of taking the YAZ product, I noticed a cramp in my right leg. By the time I was into my second day of Loestrin 24, I felt an aching in both my legs and lower back pain...both of which have NOT gone away. My periond stopped by the second day on YAZ, but started again with the first pill of Loestrin 24. This may be due to a change in pills, but it has not stopped since.

If you or someone you know is experiencing sadness and unusual behavior, or even a relapse in depression, the birth control pill may have something to do with it. I have been doing quite a bit of research on all birth control pills and the effects of depression that they have on women. I am speaking from experience and, so far, Loestrin 24 has been the worst at causing me symptoms of fear, depression, anxiety and just an overall helpless feeling. These leg cramps have me fearing blood clots, as well. Some of the other women on here have noted these leg and back pains, as well.

If I could find a non-hormonal solution to birth control (other than abstinence) I would use it.

Some women do fine on the pill and, obviously, some do not. I say, "Give it a try!", but listen to your body and that little voice in your head telling you that something might be wrong...it is usually right.

I've taken Estrostep for at least 7 years now, and I thought I have been symptom free until just recently I started to question some unusual symptoms and if they were caused from my birth control. I've had terrible bloating and constipation for the past year and I am thinking I might have a bad reaction to eating wheat, but I've never gone off the pill since I was 14 so I don't know. Also I find it IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight. I am a very serious triathlete and I train 12 hours a week, two to three times a day most days and cannot lose even 5 pounds with a perfectly clean low calorie diet. My sex drive is completely in the dumps and has been for years. It causes a lot of problems with my boyfriend and I but I'm afraid to stop taking the pill to see. I've tried Junel Fe and ortho tri-cyclen and felt that each made me gain at least 15 pounds with no diet change.

I haven't yet started Yasmin but I was taking Yaz for a few months and have had my OBGYN switch me to the lower dose of hormone, Yasmin, because I was literally having my period every 2 weeks! And this wasn't just spotting-this was a full blown period! My skin had remained fairly clear and I don't get nearly as many breakouts as I used to. However, I am on an antibiotic and wash my face with benzoyl peroxide and use a cream so that could be why my skin is clearing up but I think Yaz contributed. I noticed with Yaz that I wasn't nearly as emotional and crazy as when I took Ortho Tri Cyclen low. But once I started getting a heavy cycle (cramps included) with Yaz, I switched to Yasmin so we'll see how that goes. I noticed on Yaz I still got cramps but they weren't unbearable and usually only lasted the first day of my period. I also tend to get mild yeast infections that I attribute to birth control but no headaches like others were getting and my sex drive has increased or decreased-it's about the same. Yasmin is about $10.00 cheaper on my insurance than Yaz so that's another plus. I can't say much about Yasmin right now but I know Yaz caused bi-weekly periods and I definitely wanted to eat everything in sight so, because I was eating and had low energy and did not want to work out, I obviously gained a few lbs but nothing too obvious. Maybe like 2 or 3lbs. Mostly there is bloating in my stomach. My breasts arent tender though like others get and I didn't have stomach pains or constipation with Yaz. Compared to Ortho Tri Cyclen lo, Yaz was a miracle pill. If not for the bi-weekly periods due to the high levels of hormes, I wouldn't have switched to Yasmin.

After suffering from severe cramps and heavy bleeding for several years I decided to go to the doctor to see if I might possibly have endometriosis. He put me on Femcon in hopes of getting the pain and bleeding under control. I immediately noticed side effects from this medication. Much of what many of you are posting. I had constant tenderness and discomfort in my breasts, vivid/realistic nightmares, weight gain and most of all severe moodiness and irritability. I felt angry and hostile three weeks out of every month. Not a pleasant situation for me or the people around me. After two months of this, I called my doctor to possibly switch to something else. His response: exercise, high protein diet and Prozac as needed. I have been on a high protein diet for the better part of 20 years and have been exercising regularly all my life. As I am already on Paxil, albeit an extremely low dose (6.25mg-half of a 12.5), I found the Prozac part of his solution to be questionable. Number one, I don't believe in over medicating. Number two, it is my understanding that with antidepressants like Prozac, you have to take them consistently to achieve the desired effects. Having been on Prozac in the past, I was not willing to go back on it for any reason. I continued to take the Femcon for two more months with no relief of the side effects. Two days ago I went to a different doctor who put me on the generic version of Ortho Tri-Cyclen. It's been almost two weeks that I have been off the Femcon and I literally feel like a new person. The Femcon did great with controlling the pain and bleeding. However, that was no longer worth the negative side effects I had been experiencing on a daily basis for the last four months. I agree with many of you. The negative and/or positive effects will be individual. This is just my experience with it.

I've been on the ring for 3 months. Before that, I was on the Ortho tri cyclen Lo for like.. 5 years. I have had no noticeable problems with the ring, other than sometimes it gets in the way during sex, but if it becomes a problem I just take it out. I have not noticed any decline in sex drive. Actually, I think I have a stronger sex drive now. I have not felt depressed. The itching some of you describe would occur if you placed the ring without THOROUGHLY washing your hands with soap. So far, this method of birth control has been completely ideal for me, as a person who has serious trouble remembering to take her pill consistently. So far, I would recommend it to my friends. I'm sorry so many of you girls have had bad experiences. For those of you reading this who are considering the Nuvaring, just consider this: People who have bad experiences with a drug are more likely to get online and make their complaints know. People who are getting along fine are less likely to get on here to report everything is dandy. It's like a restaurant review.. "If they have a good experience, they'll tell two people, if they have a bad experience, they'll tell 12." Good luck.

Someone please reply! Is there a difference between ortho lo and the generic version of it?So can this pill make u lose some weight? Is that common? Also it can make your boobs bigger? IS that common? Wouldn't it be great if I lost 15 pounds and went up a boob size,lol!
Oh,If my insurance won't cover it,how much is it,then?

I took a generic ortho tri cyclen for 3 years, and recently my doctor switched me to Yaz. I haven't had any problems with headaches, insomnia, cloudy eyes, but what I have experienced is: on the first pack, about a week of spotting; 2nd pack, about a week of spotting; 3rd pack, a 2 week period that is still going. YIKES!! I asked for shorter periods. Even without bc I never had a period that exceeded 4 days. I'm going to give YAZ the benefit of the doubt and try month 4, but if no change, I will be switching!

I am a 27 year old who has been on birth control for the past 11 years. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen for the majority of that time until my sophomore year of college when the doctor suggested I switch to the "shot". Depo Provera caused me to bleed continuously for several months on end and I was then switched back to pills by my new gynecologist. He placed me on a generic form of the ortho which again worked wonders for several years. At 25, I started bleeding constantly from the generic and was switched to several Loestrin 24 which completely stopped the breakthrough bleeding... initially. After a year of it, we were back to constant bleeding. The ONLY side effect I have ever experienced from birth control is breakthrough bleeding. I moved cities and with a new town came a new doctor who thought Femcon might work. I was prescribed it in May and have been taking it for nearly 6 months. Over that time I have been so happy with it as there is no bleeding except when there should be. That is until I read today that my increased anxiety (I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder to begin with), vivid, realistic nightmares, and 15 lb weight gain could be caused by this pill. I am getting married in January and my dress barely fits at this point because of the weight gain. I go to the gym 5 days a week for cardio and weight training yet keep getting fatter... I thought I was stressed out by the wedding and that is what was causing my emotional imbalance... I really thought I was losing it. I just called my gyno and left a VM asking if this could be the reason... Don't quit taking a birth control based on other peoples reports, they are all going to react differently to different people and all meds come with an initial side effect that goes away once your body is accustomed to having that hormone or chemical in it. Initial nausea is common... I have always had it when I started a new medication, especially birth control. It goes away after a couple of weeks. Will keep you posted.

i absolutely love this pill. never had any issues. I went on another pill to get rid of my period and after two months i am switching back to good old orthocyclen

ps - ortho tri cyclen gave me headaches too blah

I have been on this for a few years now and I am thinking about switching to something else or going off completely. I'm 34 and I have been the pill for 15 years. At first, Loestrin 24 was great - 3 day light period. But overtime, my period went to 4, to 5, to 6 days. Now it's 7 days of heavy bleeding as if I'm not taking anything at akk. I've gained weight, like 20 lbs, that I can't seem to lose. My fiance and I dance so I'm usually in shape. But over the last year, even dancing as much as we do isn't keeping the weight off. I'm emotional all of the time. I have a heart murmur, which my OBGYN admits is probably caused by the pill. One thing I can say is my acne is under control, which basically is the only reason (besides shorter periods) I am on it since my fiance has had a vasectomy. It's hard to know what to do when the doctor's really don't know either. It's all trial and error since every patients hormones are different. But, this 7 days of heavy bleeding is for the birds. I might as well not be on anything! We Are All Just Ginniepigs.
Indecisive in Indiana,

I was horrified to start femcon fe after reading all these blogs, but I decided to try it anyways with the hope that my experience would be different...and it has been so far. I was taking Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for over four years and was always suffering immense Nausea ,low sex drive and extreme irritability. My nausea ceased overnight after taking femcon, I am no longer moody, my husband has noticed an increase in my sex drive and attitude.Lets just wait to see where this will go...

I took paxil when I was around 24 years old. The stupid psychiatrist (who was so cold, and never smiled, and then asked me to tell her how I felt) at the time never warned me about NOT stopping it cold turkey. So one day I did stop and I experienced symptoms already described by other people: extreme relapse into depression and anxiety, felling like I "wasn't real", social phobia, agoraphobia and feeling suicidal. Now I am on Effexor and my doctor says "there are no withdrawal symptoms". I was put on Effexor due to a diagnosis of major depression last 6 months ago and I believe it was all precipitated by hormonal birth control. All the doctors and psychiatrists I spoke to about the possible link between hormonal birth control and depression and anxiety told me there was no link (or that it was very rare). I hate the attitude of the medical community:(

I have been on ortho tri-cyclen for 7 months. I have noticed a difference in my moods. I am a lot more emotional now and my fiance notices a big difference in me. I feel more sad and we conflict more when it comes to that time of the month and it is more me being emotional, I never was like this before but my wonderful fiance has been very supportive during this time. I decided to quit the pill and just be more careful since we will be married and trying for a child in a couple months. Also another one of my friends suffered from depression when she took the pill and when she switched pills she was no longer depressed. So FYI, please monitor your moods when your taking the pill, it took me 7 months to even notice when my fiance noticed right away.

I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for not even a month before I had problems. bled, literally, 14 days straight before I stopped taking it. My OB-GYN prescribed Loestrin 24 Fe, and for the first few months it was okay. I am now on my last day of my 6 month on it and I cannot even handle it. My period comes twice a month, or so it seems with spotting. I do NOT get my period when I take the brown pills, as I supposed to. I feel moody, sick, tired yet I cannot sleep, I go to the bathroom several times a day, I throw up, feel short of breath, I get headaches, TERRIBLE stomach pains and I don't feel like going to work or school ever. It's hell. Maybe my body is not right for birth control, but I am DONE with this pill. It's been HELL.

I am on the third pack of Femcon, switched from Ortho Tri-Cyclen because my periods were too long. I can't say I have any major side effects, no depression, no wackiness etc., One that I do have is breast tenderness, my boobs blew up like balloons and I do have major skin/chin problems that no dermatologist can help me with for the last few weeks. I couldn't figure it out what it was from but I think it might be from the pill. Never had any skin problems, acne and all of the sudden my chin breaks out badly, not pimples more like under the skin red bumps. Anyone with the similar problem???? HELP.

THANK YOU LADIES FOR SHARING. I KEPT GETTING HEADACHES, VAGINAL INFECTIONS AND DRYNESS, NO SEX DRIVE. I HAVE BEEN ON THE NUVARING SINCE JUNE, I JUST RECENTLY STARTED THINKING MAYBE ITS THE NUVARING THATS GIVING ME ALL THESE PROBLEMS. SO I DECIDED TO CHECK THE INTERNET I WAS HAPPY BUT ALSO SAD TO SEE SO MANY POSTINGS. NOW I KNOW ITS THE NUVARING. AFTER READING THE POSTINGS I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE LADIES ROOM AT WORK AND REMOVED IT. I AM GOING TO RETURN TO USING BC PILLS (ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN LO).
THANKS AGAIN,

C. MCLORN- BALTIMORE, MD

I have been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for 9 months. I went through a major depression last spring. I was diagnosed with MAJOR DEPRESSION and went on anti depressants and on sick leave from work. Now looking back it seems there could be a link with the birth control pill. Around the same time I started taking it, I started having such bad MOOD SWINGS, ANGER control problems, ANXIETY and fatigue. I was always getting angry at my boyfriend and picked fights. No more sex drive either. I spoke to my GP, to a psychiatrist and to my pharmacist. I asked them "should there be a link with the pill?". Each and everyone said "no", "highly unlikely". Nobody suggested I try stopping the pill BEFORE starting anti depressants. I got a second opinion from a other doctor. THIS is what he said to me:" you'll be very depressed if you get an unplanned pregnancy." the thing is ladies, they DON'T WANT YOU OFF THE PILL BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT UNPLANNED PREGNANCY. THEY DON'T WANT YOU OFF THE PILL BECAUSE IT PAYS A LOT MORE TO PUSH PILLS THAN TO RECOMMEND OTHER METHODS (pharmaceutical companies giv big incentives and gifts to doctors). THEY DON'T ENCOURAGE YOU TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
I'm going off the pill at the end of my pack and am giving myself a couple months to see if I feel better. then I am going off the anti depressants.

So thankful I found this website and that I am not the only one having these problems! I started the NR this past February and thought it would be great not to have to worry about taking the pill. I had been taking Kariva and besides it being a pain to worry about, I also started gaining wt for the first time since high school (it had been two years with no wt gain). A few months ago I started working with a personal trainer and running to prepare for a 1/2 marathon...after three months I am now up 7 lbs even with working out 6 days a week! I assume it is severely causing me to retain fluid. I have not noticed mood changes but definitely no sex drive. I used to get migraines all the time and those are actually gone. The biggest side effect I have noticed which no one else has mentioned is heart problems. I have always worked out and ran a lot in high school with no previous problems. When I began training for my 1/2 marathon I noticed I was SOB, fatigued, and having palpitations all the time. Running for long periods of time has been impossible. I never thought it could be the NR until the last few days. It is the only thing I have done different. If I weren't married I would quit bc all together but instead I plan on going back to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo which I had the best results from.

I get very sick when I get my period, they are long and heavy, and I have digestion problems and intense stomach pains for at least 1-2 weeks before and the week of. These symptoms disappeared for a while when I was on Apri (desogen) but after a few months, they came back, and on top of it, I became severely depressed and had such bad stomach pains, I went to the emergency room (and you pretty much have to drag me to hospitals).

This last period was so bad though that I finally decided to take the sample pack of Loestrin that my doctor gave me a month or two ago. Just a day after I started taking it, my period ended and the pain and bloating was gone. This is day 6 and I'm fine so far. On Ortho Tri-Cyclen (my first pill) I had bad side effects the first few days and gained ten pounds in two weeks.

I'm glad these forums exist, because they helped me realize that all of the depression (including suicidal thoughts), stomach pain, hair loss, etc. etc. were side effects of desogen. All of those things that contributed to the worst summer of my life disappeared as soon as I stopped taking it.

On the other hand, I have to point out that there is no "good" pill or "bad" pill. The side effects will be different for everyone. Some women need more estrogen, some need less. Some need fluctuating amounts of hormones and some need the same dosage all month. Unfortunately the only way to figure out what is right for you is to try them, note your reactions, and research the differences between pills. I realized quickly that I needed a low, stable dose of estrogen, which led me to try Loestrin. Not saying things can't go wrong from here, but now I am aware that if I fall into some depression, anxiety, weight gain, or other weird side effects, it *may* be caused by the pill I'm taking.

Is the pill worth it? Again, answers will vary depending on your lifestyle. Are your periods manageable or do they cause you not to be able to get out of bed in the morning? Are they consistent or are you praying you're no pregnant every month? Are condoms working for you or aren't they, and is the 2% chance of still becoming pregnant worth the risk?

While I've had bad experiences with some pills, I'm just grateful for this BC option in general. Until they figure out how to make birth control pills for men (pshh.. that'll be the day) then it's up to us to research and maek the best decisions for ourselves.

I started FEMCON FE about 3 weeks ago because I had been bleeding heavy for 6 straight weeks. My doctor pulled me from my previous birth control, Ortho Tri-Cyclen and put me on FEMCON to stop the bleeding. Surely enough 3 days later it stopped, however, I have experienced headaches, dizziness, a lack of appetite, fatigue and a very low sex drive over these last 3 weeks. Not to mention, I had breakthrough bleeding this week for 3 days. I am going to continue taking these for another month and report back, but right now, I am not too content with this birth control.

I have been on 3 different birth control pills/patches in the past 2 years and I am sick of it. I know that some people are fine on and off birth control pills, but for me, I will never take one again. I was first on the Ortho Evra patch and that was the worst thing imaginable. I was throwing up on and off and developed a problem with my kidney's that caused what seemed like a UTI but after taking antibiotics never got better, until I got off of the patch. I switch to Ortho Tri-Cyclen. It was reasonable for a while, because at least I could function as a normal person again. But after a while I noticed it's side effects too; nausea, no sex drive, and a variety of others. So I then switched to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. Although it was the best of the 3, it still gave me side effects that I could not deal with. For the past 2 years, no one has been able to understand my moods, I have had to struggle to feel sexual, have gone from 20-30 vision in both eyes to having 20-200, loosing 20 lbs which makes me 103 lbs now, and after that, finding out that I can no longer eat dairy products (out of the blue). My hair is thinning out and is dull because my birth control pills lowered the amount of nutrients my body could take out of my food (look it up! Birth Control pills can cause definiency's in calcium, b12, biotin and others). Birth control pills were the only pills I was taking during those two years (except for the antibiotics I mentioned earlier) and I had not changed any of my eating habits. I will never go on a birth control pill again, and I hope that I can start to feel better and heal after the craziness those pills have inflicted on my body.

Hi guys. I just was prescribed this pill today and wanted to know if I am making the right choice in BC pills?

So far i've been on it for 2 months. I can't really say much on it. The first month i took it, i didn't have a period. Which can be a lil scary if that happens when you're switching pills. But I did brown a lil on the last day of the reminder pills. This month hasn't been too bad no weight gain at all, but the only thing is my period came 10 days early, but its not really heavy and the cramps are really light. I'm just happy there aren't crazy psycho lady mood swings like when i was on ortho-tri cyclen lo. Nonetheless i don't have anything bad too say about this pill.

I have extreme problems with my menstrual cycle.. I bleed for months at a time... i have been bleeding for about 7 months now and my gyno gave me Femcon Fe.I have been on Yasmin before and it did not help regulate my menstrual cycle at all. I actually gained over 20 pounds from Yasmin in two months. I didn't change my diet at all. I have been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen and that just didn't do anything at all... i bled right through... After reading all your comments I am very nervous to start Femcon Fe.

I have been on Ortho-Tri Cyclen lo for about 5 years off an on. When I first started the pill I was fine but after being on it for about a year everything changed. Before I started the pill I was losing weight. I was 163lbs and I got down to about 142lbs which was great but since then I've been on constant weight gain, I've tried metabolite and aerobics, some diet changes and now I last weighed 187lbs, with a few drastic changes I think I've dropped about 3 lbs since then. My sex drive used to be fairly high now it doesn't exist, I'm moody and always have headaches. I get nauseous a lot. So as of today I'm just going to quit the pill and live with cramps.