Menstration symptoms and conditions

I am 18 years old and this is my first experience with BC. Loestrin FE 24 has ruined my entire view of BC. I have suffered many side effects of this pill, I am currently on my third pack of Loestrin. The side effect I have experienced are:
1. Moodiness/ Depression: I experienced this side effect during the first pack of Loestrin. Extreme depression was prominent at the beginning, I would randomly cry and I constantly down. Let alone my mood swings. My boyfriend would agree that I could be up and down within min.
2. Headaches: I have had horrible headaches daily with Loestrin. I started with my third pack of the pills. The headaches are terrible, it seems like I can only numb them with ibprofen but I can never fully get rid of it.
3. Spotting: How annoying is spotting? This side effect also started with my third pack of pills. I shouldn't even see any sort of menstruation for at least another 5-6 days. But yet here I am.
4. Massive acne before menstruation: I have always had really clear skin. Let it be before, during or after my period. But with Loestrin I am constantly breaking out. ESPECIALLY before my period.
5. Bloating/Constipation: I constantly feel bloated and feel like I am always constipated. I don't know what to do besides switch pills. I can't take it any longer.
P.S. This pill makes you feel that you are always pregnant. I see the signs but they are identical to the symptoms of the pill. So beware. I highly recommend NOT taking Loestrin FE 24

I'm 27 years old and have been married for 2 years. In May I decided to get on female birth control for the first time in my life to regulate my 7 day period. The first month I felt like a mental patient, lol. I'm already an emotional person so when I started the pill I swore I would stop it. My nipples looked deformed because they were so swollen, I was depressed and nausea. I decided to stick it out because I wasn't taking it at the same time everyday. So I regulated myself with an alarm clock and the next month everything was wonderful. My period only last 4 days, and all of my symptoms were GONE!!! I'm now at the end of my fourth month and my period has come early which is freaking me out because I have never had an early period in my life. I've read about spotting on this product, but I haven't spotted EVER not even in the four months that I've been taking the pill. Other than my first month of horror and my recent early period everything else on loestrin has been wonderful.

My suggestion to women who are on their first pack is try to tough it out, you will feel horrible the first month but just apologize to whomever feels your rath and remember your body needs some time to adjust. I'm a victim of horrible menstruation, and so is my mom. Since I was 9 years old I used to get 14 days of cramps and 7 days of bleeding. I would pass out all the time on my period and my husband and family was very upset since he or others would find me blacked out at home, work, the salon, at the zoo, in the shower, and once my neighbor found me. Loestrin has DEFINITELY changed my life for the better, so stick out that first month ladies its worth it. I hope my experience helps other women who are scared and feel like the symptoms won't end.=)

I had Mirena inserted Nov 2008, one year after my miscarriage. Everything was great at first. I had it inserted on my lunch break and went back to work with no problems. Periods were shorter and lighter. Now, 6 months later I've noticed problems. About 2 months ago I was working over night and felt a sharp stabbing pain in my abdomen. I went to the bathroom and was bleeding a lot. More than a period. I went another hour, and the pain was almost unbearable. I left work and went to the ER. They said I looked fine, that Mirena hadn't moved and nothing was torn. Gave me some pain meds and sent me home. I've had short sharp pains ever since.

I was diagnosed with depression my 6th grade year, when my grandfather passed away. I've been battling ever since. So, when my depression got worse after Mirena, I didn't think much of it. But the past month or so, my thoughts have been like some other users have described. I've had very scary thoughts, and boughs of uncontrollable crying for no reason.

My periods have stopped, with some light spotting every month. I do still have cramping, but no bleeding. I'm thinking of making an appt with my OBGYN and having it removed now that I've read all of these posts. I had no idea of any side affects other than interfering with menstruation. If you don't have Mirena, make sure you research more than I did. If I had, I probably wouldn't have gotten it. I really wish I would've researched more options because now I'm beginning to regret my decision.

I was given a shot in I think January of 2008, not knowing exactly what it was, because I had a fever and the doctor said it would jump start my recovery. At first there seemed to be no problem with the injection site and I felt great just days after.

A couple of months later, when I was working out and losing weight and keeping a very close eye on my body because of it. Suddenly, I noticed that I had a deep indentation and discoloration on the left side of my lower back - right where they gave me the shot. It seemed like it appeared over night. It got deeper, and darker as time passed.. I was scared to press my finger in it because when I did, it just kept going in..as if there was no fat OR muscle in that spot.. I was FREAKED out. I'm a model so this fact that there was a bottomless whole in my lower back was devastating. I also feared that there may be something life threatening going on. I mean, a chunk of you just doesn't disappear overnight..Unless someone stole your kidney, but, I didn't wake up in a bath tub full of ice.

I typed in "Injection that causes Indentation in the lower back" and I found this board. Everyone here suffered the same exact symptoms from this shot and worse. I was certain that it had to be Kenalog. It seemed to cause death of all tissue at the injection site, depression, lethargy, moodiness, insomnia, pain and all sorts of other symptoms after this shot. I started to suffer from all of them soon after the shot and I didn't really know why or where it came from. I was in so much pain and was so tired.. I stopped doing everything I loved and I could barely sleep because of the pain.

I don't know what to do about this. I'm extremely broke and I don't have health insurance(and they wouldn't fix anything considered to them as "cosmetic" anyways).. My parents are in no position to help me anymore and I could never afford an attorney to try to claim against this.

How can I go about fixing this with no money? Is there any way to fix this to begin with?

Any advice, insight or experiences would be GREATLY appreciated!

I made an appt. with my gyno. about six weeks ago because my period was going on for two weeks at a time. Around that time my husband noticed a dent in my butt cheek, and since then it has gotten worse. I was looking up indentation on the butt and came across this information. I JUST called my Dr. and asked them when I was in there for poison ivy what they gave me for a shot, you guessed it KENALOG 80MG. This was five months ago. The indentation is getting worse. Will it ever stop, and what kind of Dr. do I go see about this? Will my periods ever regulate?

I had one injection of Kenalog to treat anal itching. Doctor did not know how to treat it and used Kenalog as her last resort. It did not make any difference. Eventually another doctor diagnosed me with Herpes Cold Sore and treated me with Valtrex.
However, Kenalog messed up my menstrual cycle so badly and I haven't had ovulation for the last three months. What's upsetting is that my doctor knew that I was trying to get pregnant and did not inform me of such side effects. When I called the doctor later and told her what happened, she sounded very surprised and said that she had never heard of such a thing.
Doctors need to be better informed about side effects before recommending any medicine to their patients. And the lesson learned for me is to not trust doctors any more, always do research beforehand. Oh well, hopefully the ovulation will come back soon, it has been way too hard emotionally to deal with the overall situation.
Hope it's helpful.

I don't know if it was the two kenalog injections but I began to menstruate-three years post-menopause. I immediately was seen by my endocrinologist, trans-vaginal sonogram and endometrial biopsy done. i just received a call tonight informing me that a polyp was found and I will need to have a D & C. It sounds like endometrial hyperplasia and this is a very sudden onset - I had the same sonogram in February and all was fine.
I have now found out that steroids can "wreak havoc" with our hormones. I was schedule to have epidural injections of steroids for back and neck injuries. I will not have them now or ever- they are not as benign and helpful as many doctors would have you believe.

I'm a physician. Usually Kenalog injections can be avoided and oral steroids used like prednisone. The local dimpling effect may occur if the injection is too shallow, actually there is a temporary "disolving" of the subcutaneous tissue, the muscle and joints are not damaged. It is usually viewed as a "cosmetic" adverse effect. The Kenalog injections was primarily designed for joint injection and the kenalog or similar depo form stays active in the joint for a few weeks. All steroid medications can cause irritability and this is usually temporary for a few days. Steroids can cause muscle weakness- this is usually associated with high doses for prolonged use like being on prednisone for 3 or 4 months. Steroids can have an adverse effect on menstruation, but this is usually associated with chronic use. The most serious problems with the steroids result in bone weakness(osteoporosis) and serious damage to joints like the back and hip. Steroids can also result in weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure and cataract formation. I don't think Kenalog is any different than other steroids such as Medrol or Prednisone in terms of the side effect profile. These are dangerous medications that can also be very helpful in saving lives and diminishing pain.

My daughter was on Yasmin for approx 3 years for painful periods. Over the past year she has become severely depressed, angry and just a horrible person to live with. I noticed that on the final week of the pills, the placebo week, she was her old self and put two and two together and made her stop taking Yasmin. She is now back to her happy self, no longer depressed and looking forward to her life. She had informed her doctor of the depression but she never attributed it to the Yasmin and instead referred her to a psychologist, which she never followed through with. Doctors don't know or care to really look into side effects properly. Do not take this drug...it almost killed my daughter!!

Hey-lo,

I have been on Yasmin for almost a month now, and the side-effects at the beginning were almost unbearable - dizziness, leg aches and moodiness, plus my skin, which was always acne-prone, broke out something fierce.

As the weeks wore on, all these seemed to subside somewhat. There's no more physical soreness and the dizzy spells are gone. Still a little on the mean side - hoping that will work itself out.

I am hoping, since you who frequent seem so kind, someone might respond to a rather... interesting if not disturbing side-effect I've noticed since starting my period. This is my first menstration since going on the pill, so I can only assume it's related... my menstral blood has an extremely strong, extremely unpleasant odor. It's almost fish-like. Really, it's disgusting and I'm a little worried about it. Has anyone had a similar change?

Other than that, I must say that this period is a cause for celebration. Ever since I was twelve, my menstration has been painful - writhing in my bed, crying and screaming, the pain was so intense. It's kind of a given that I would call in sick to work/stay home from school one day out of the month (my "bad day"). But this month, on the day I usually would have been dead on the bed, I was up, I went to work, it all went smoothly. This is not to say I still didn't feel fatigued and irritable, but the fact that I was able to function was amazing.

I hope it's always like this.

- Elfie

I am on my second pack of yasmin. So far i am not really
satisfied with it because it has been nothing but a
rollercoaster, and uncertainties. I dont even feel like the pill
is working. Maybe thats just my paranoia. My side effects
have been pretty bad. First of all i smoke and i frequently get
major heart pains. (im working on quiting smoking) I have
had a very unusual and uncontrolable smelly vaginal
discharge. Even after months of no sexual intercourse. The
week that i was taking the reminder pills (during menstration)
I literally went psycho. I ended up getting fired from my job
for cursing at a kid, i threatend to move, and all of this for no
reason at all. I did use the ortho evra patch prior to the
yasmin pill and i was way more satisfied with the patch. Oh and to the woman who commented on the questioning her sexuality. I have been a homophobe for my whole life, recently i have become attracted to girls. I think it has a lot
to do with the hormones just making the libido out of control.
some women say that their sex drive has fallen, mine has
skyrocketed, just in the opposite way lol.

sarah

I have been on Yasmin for 6 years and just stopped taking it two weeks ago. When on yasmin I experienced horrible headaches, depression, anxiety, tight throat, and fatigue. My PMS symptoms were better during menstration, however I had 7-8 day periods. I am 32 yrs old now and want to rid my body of these fake hormones so I can have kids in a year or so. My first symptom while off yasmin has been water retention/weight gain. I actually gained 6 pounds in a matter of 1 day. I couldn't fit into my pants. These pills are horrible. Hopefully, this water retention will subside.
Good luck to all!

I've been taking levoxyl for 8 months doe to thyroid cancer.From the beginning I've had insomnia,chest tightness, no menstration for 4 months, now I am having arthritic pain in my joints and it affects my hands, I've been to the dr. he dosen't seem concerned about it I'de like to know what I can do to help all this if the dr. can't.

Hi Two Girls Mom,
Thanks for your response. My cold is actually a lot better and the constant numbing/pain has pretty much stopped. I still have it on and off, but not straight through for weeks like I used to. I took the one dose of Benadryl and didn't take any more. I found that if I breathed into a paper bag, it caused no anxiety whatsoever. (Once I got the numbing I felt so paranoid I would get the anxiety I used the bag). I didn't get it but still I guess at this point I want to be prepared just in case...
I'm still having the weird pulsing in my ear on and off, not quite as constant as I did on the Yasmin, I'm just assuming that it is still Yasmin related.
To be honest with you although I have a cold, this has been the best I have felt in a long time. I have so much energy, and can actually sleep about 8 hrs. a night, granite I'm still up at 6 am, but I've always been like that.
As for the anxiety, I really haven't experienced a full attack in about 2 weeks. I haven't felt anxious, (not that I did on the pill it just seemed to kinda creep up on me for no reason) Keeping my fingers crossed. Like I said I still have a bit of the numbing here and there, but it is nothing like the constant numbing I used to experience. I'm actually anticipating feeling worse this next week, b/c it should be the start of my period. And like you said and others I have read stating it's worse around menstration and ovulation, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I'm glad you are starting to feeling better. It's a shame that you have to take another drug to cure the symptoms of an old drug, hopefully you will be able to stop that soon as well. I still think's it's absolutely crazy that a stupid birth control pill can cause so many problems. I really don't think I want to take another one. I'm 27 but my b.f. and I don't want kids any time in the near future, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I guess condoms for now. I really don't want to mess with my hormones any more.
I did go to the Dr. on Mon. and they took blood pressure, they said it was fine, so I guess that's OK.
Thanks for your help. Like I said before, I really appreciate this site I think it's great that women can talk to other women experiencing the same thing. I really hope they get that crap off the market...
Hill

Hi Everyone,
I have been off Yasmin now for 24 days. I just got a cold (seems to be going around) and I took a Benadryl cold and congestion yesterday at about 7 am. I didn't go to work b/c I felt horrible. However, my numbness came back yesterday. I haven't had it in about a week or so. I was just wondering if it is b/c of the Benadryl, or if maybe the cold triggered these symptoms. Or if it is maybe even b/c I should be getting my period next week, and from what I have read the anxiety symtoms came back around menstration. If I do get it it will be the first normal cycle since off of it. Also since yesterday, I can hear my heart beat or a pulse in my right ear. This is the side where I get the numbing and tingling. I am wondering if it's due to my cold or just brought out by it. I did get it every now and then when I was on yasmin. Also has anyone experience this.
Thanks a lot and I really do love this site.
Hill

I have been on OVCON 35 for about a month and half. I was prescribed this particular pill for relief of sever pain during menstration. So far the side effects haven't been too bad. My boobs did get a little bigger (but is that really a bad thing?) I did have one spotting episode during the first month while my body adjusted (I am guessing), and I do feel hungry-- a lot, but I was warned by my doctor about both of these side effects. Haven't gained any weight, because I knew prior to keep appetite in check. I just drink lots of water to fill my belly or chew gum. (I also keep a toothbrush in my desk at work... helps curb snacking. I don't want to munch with a nice clean mouth.) I do feel a little more sensitive and needy for attention but not depressed. I can say that I have actually had an increase in sex drive, which is strange because I thought the pill was suppose to suppress it? Haven't heard of anyone experiencing this, either. NOT complaining! Just a little confused. Overall, I do like this pill, and it is working very well for me. I would recommend trying it.

Headache, dizziness, depression, insomnia, hot flashes, light headed, nausea after 2 months of being on the shot.
Good things no menstration less pain. HELP

Breast Tenderness, needed ice to stop them from hurting. Heart palpatations. And oh boy!!! Eating.. I can eat a herd of cattle. Gained 5lbs and this is only my 1st shot. I still have "endometriosis pain, but no menstration. Thank goodness no hot flashes, I'd be jumping in a snow bank.