September 18th
2005
12:57 PM
i have been on this drug for 8 months for my ashma . before this i would be on it maybe 6 times a tear for a week or so but i am now steroid dependent and cant live without thse . my klfe has changed so much be cause of these steroids . i went from a very confident person to someone who cant look in the mirror at myself. i have deperession , and fly off the handle cant sleep and my skin is transperent and bruid=ses so easily . i at my lowest ebb because of these drugs.
-- By hudson2332 | Reply | Private Message me
December 4th
2002
5:06 PM
i had no side effects for approximately 18 months, but now i am experiencing heavy-leggedness a tremor in my right index finger when i am typing, and a tremor in my right thigh i've asked my doctor to let me go off zocor for a while to test whether the drug is the reason. would be interested in anyone's experiences once they went off, i.e. how long off the drug it takes for symptoms to ebb.
-- By bbaker1140 | Reply | Private Message me
October 2th
2008
1:24 PM
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.
-- By anicoled | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me