Ortho tri cyclen lo symptoms and conditions

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.

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 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.

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 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 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.

This is my third month on femcon and i am switching its the worst pill i have been on. I was on ortho tri cyclen lo for years and no problems due to insurance i had to change. this pil keeps my legs and ankle swollen it makes me look like i have elephant feet. I having my menstrual cycle now and im not starting the next pack im going to find a way to pay for my ortho tri cyclen lo. I also went up two bra sizes and they hurt.

i've been on Yaz for 4 months. My doctor switched me, trying to correct what he thought was vaginal dryness caused by ortho tri cyclen lo. It wasn't at all. I've had the same sexual problems.

But, I've had a horrible time with Yaz. My period has been all messed up. My period usually comes one day, and is horribly heavy for one day. I mean, like gushing heavy. Then it turns brown for the next 5 days, sometimes longer.

Also, my moods have been weird. I have random mood swings now. Where I want to cry at one point for no reason, then I go back to normal. But, today was the last straw. On my way to work, I felt a random crying spell come over me. Then it turned into depressed that made me want to kill myself. So, I'm assuming the mood altering parts in the pill are similar to anti depressants, and made me feel suicidal.

I don't have a side effect to report, but I have read all of your responses. Over all they are 95% negative. The only thing I am wondering, is WHY you chose Yaz to begin with.

I have been thinking about taking Yaz to help with my severe PMDD. If you don't know what that is, basically it's like the moodiness side of PMS times 10. I am euphorically happy normally, lol, kind of like how happy a cocker spaniel is when their family gets home... except I don't piddle on the floor. About 5 days before my period starts I go into a very deep depression, I bloat, I am irritable, and my entire life suffers. I cry (wail is more like it) for absolutely NO reason... blah blah blah. But once I am about 2 or 3 days into my cycle it all passes and I am back to chipper me.

Long story short, I heard Yaz is supposed to be amazing to help stabilize emotions in people like me. How many of you started Yaz just as birth control, or as an acne control? How many of you took it for PMDD and it STILL didn't help?

I took Yaz for about 6 weeks. After week 4 I noticed I had heart palpitations, shortness of breath, abnormal mood swings - always upset and easily frustrated by the smallest things. The change in my mood was noticed by everyone from my family and boyfriend to co-workers and business associates. I myself noticed this big change. After week 5 I had a huge breakdown where I literally felt my heart thumping out of my chest...it felt like a heart attack (I can only guess). I could not breathe. I brushed it off as nothing (big mistake). Exactly 9 days later I was at work and the exact thing happened to me. This time I could not function - could not breathe, heart palpitations, the works!. I work in the medical field and so I my blood pressure was taken by a colleague and it was 168/108 on the left hand and 159/109 on the right (can you say OMG!!!). Sure enough I was rushed to the ER and they managed to bring my BP within normal range. The doctors told me I was knocking on the door of a pulmonary embolism(PE) (bolt clot in the lung) and/or a heart attack. I am a 24 y/o athletic, very fit, never even had a cold female who is extremely healthy. I take OC for PCOS for about 2+ yrs now. I made the switch from Yasmin to Yaz 6 weeks ago as I wanted to try something new with more 'so called' benefits (fewer periods and helping with moods swings that I also attribute to Yasmin).
I have done so much research and read so many experiences of other women on OC and none have as much reported MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS that Yaz and Yasmin...especially YAZ. While I agree with posts that notes that all OC have side effects; it should be noted well that YAZ is the worst.
Ladies...DO NOT TAKE YAZ IF YOU WANT TO LIVE! This is no joke.
I am happy to report that I am back to my happy healthy self. I am staying clear of all OC and will just live with my PCOS until I am ready to have kids.
Blood clots, PE, heart attack, HTN etc. is no joke. CHOOSE LIFE. They should take this drug off the market.
If you must take an OC, try ortho try-cyclen lo or talk to your doctor in details and to the health risk of them all and the one with the least side effects.
I appreciate this site for affording us ladies the opportunity to share our experiences, learn from the experiences of others and avoid a costly mistake.
God bless.
S.D. - FL
P.S. - DO NOT TAKE YAZ

I am on my 7th month of Loestrin and I'm about to call my doctor to switch me back to Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo. My side effects with Loestrin weren't that bad at first...but they've gotten increasingly worse. I've bought a pregnancy test for the last 3 months b/c my side effects from this pill mimic those of pregnancy--I get no period at all except for minimal spotting. My breasts feel constantly sore and swollen and I've gone up another cup size. I've been feeling unnaturally irritable, anxious, and depressive. I also cannot seem to get enough sleep. I feel mildly nauseous several times throughout the day, not too severe, but enough to make me uncomfortable. Every time I've taken a preg test, it's negative, but this pill makes me feel EXACTLY like being pregnant (and I've been pregnant before). This pill is not worth the stress/anxiety it's caused me.

i thought it was just me but i have sat here for about 45 minutes and read about the other side effects other women have had on this pill...
im 17 and was started on femcon fe for ovarian cysts and i have been so emotional that i have had 6 people in 1 week ask me if im pregnant because im so emotional. my boyfriend is in the army and has been deployed to Iraq until July, he told me he loved me and i started crying and he asked me what was wrong and i didn't know and ive been on ortho tri cyclen lo and i had an amazing experience on it
another incident was when i was standing in the lunch line at school and a girl took the last sandwich and i just fell to peaces OVER A SANDWICH!!! i know this pill has something to do with it so ive just stopped taking it i want back on ortho tri cyclen lo

I just got off of Ortho Tri-cyclen lo, and it worked really well for me, but we didn't have insurance so we couldn't afford to get it after the 2 sample pacs. I am now on Tri-Sprintec, for 6 days now, and my boobs already feel like they are about to fall off. I mean, they've hurt before, but really. This is ridiculous. I guess it's worth it, but I don't know. I feel really nauseated lately. I guess it's because this is a new form of Birth Control, but yeah. It really sucks. I am also depressed and not caring now. Besides my boobs wanting to fall off and being tired and depressed, the pill is great. I guess it's something I have to deal with. All birth controls have side effects.

I have not gotten acne, I have gained a little weight, and I haven't gone out in the sun yet to see what it does to my face. But if it gives me sunspots, I quit.

I started taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo about five years ago. Lately, maybe in the last year, maybe two years come to think about it, I feel like I am in this endless slump. I can't seem to get motivated, I'm depressed, I'm anxious EVERY minute of the day, I feel like I should be in a looney bin. I get hysterical for NO reason whatsoever. Recently, my period hasn't been regulated either and I thought maybe because I quit smoking two months ago that my body was just getting itself back on the right track, but after reading this, maybe just the pill is to blame.

My boyfriend left fifteen minutes before one of our television shows was up tonight and I got hysterical. I was crying and just had NO control. The symptoms are always the worst the week before my period (which means today is just about a week before). I did a self-diagnosis (stupid, I know, but what else could I do?) about probably a year ago and told my mother I thought I may have PMDD.

Then I came online and found this site and I feel relieved (even though I spent the last 20 minutes crying) to know that it IS the birthcontrol pill. So, thanks to all the women on here that gave me some really important insight, I am going to stop ortho. You're all doing a great thing letting everyone know.

Okay, i am a 28 year old healthy woman. I have had a few anxiety attacks due to moving, new job, being a single momma and etc. But they are under control.
However, last month i started Yaz to help with mild PMDD which had developed after i had my daughter ( who is 2 now and awesome!!!). Well I thought it was okay at first then 2 weeks into it i started my period and bled for 2 weeks!!!! i have never had a period that long, i thought my blood would be low by then end of it. Well, i also had migraines, which i have never had before. Every morning when i woke up my head pounded. So, i have started the second pack and it has been awful, my lower back is hurting so bad, my anxiety is peaked and i am all shakey. Not to mention i feel like crying my eyes out. Oh and i have eaten 2 pieces of bacon today due to nausea. I couldn't believe it was the BC. When i was young i had taken Triphasil and ortho tricyclen. And i remember them being okay. But not this one.
So tomorrow my gyn. is putting me on Ortho-lo so hopefully it will work. I hate we all have to go through these side effects, but i guess that's how it goes. God bless everyone i hope we find some answers! :o)

I've been on Tri-Sprintec for a month and a half. My husband is going crazy due to my mood swings. Of course he gets the brunt of it compared to anybody else. One moment I am fine and the next I am yelling because I dropped the butter on the floor. Ten minutes later I've forgotten this instance and I'm crying for no apparent reason. I normally have normal to dry skin, and no acne (to very few) Lately my face is very itchy and I've had a lot of breakouts. I work in Law Enforcement, and have no problems with being straight forward and pushy, but lately I don't have it in me, I feel very depressed and a lot of self doubt. I also don't have a big appetite, I feel nauseas, and I do take the pill with food. I've also gained 10 pounds in the last month and a half. I don't know if this is a coincidence or if it's side effects from the birth control. I have also had a lot of headaches lately.

I've been on ortho tri-cyclen lo for the past few years with basically no side effects and have been really happy with it. Just lately, I started getting my period (or spotting) about a week early, before I had taken the last week of pills. This has happened for the last 2 months. I went to the doc and they said it was normal even after I have been taking it so long. The doc said it was probably because the lo was too low and not carrying me through to the end of the pill pack. She switched me to Yasmin, which I've only been on for 3 days now, but decided to research it some. This website lists 4,000 replies about really negative side effects they have experienced in a short time. I am definitely getting off Yaz.....

I am reading this thread and will, as a male, caution everyone about the possible effects of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. I am 41, have been married 19 years and have two children. I believe I occasionally suffer from bouts of mild depression which I have treated through therapy (about every 18 to 24 months). My wife had been on OT Lo for a long time until 6 months ago when she finally went off about 6 months after I had a vasectomy.

I cannot do justice to the transformation, at least from my perspective, that resulted after about 30 days of being off OT Lo. Sex drive went from very low to higher than anything I have ever seen. Call me a typical male if you want, but I can tell you the emotional impact of feeling like your wife really wants to be with you versus having almost no interest in sex.

Also, the way she approached problems changed dramatically. Therefore, the way I participated in those problems was able to change. No more highly emotional responses that were very difficult for me to understand while managing my own emotions and our level of conflict. The way way we were able to resolve problems became a partnership, not me bending to emotions I suspected neither she nor I could control.

Biggest problem: Irregeular periods. So, she goes back on the OT Lo and 1 week later we have a huge meltdown because she thinks I am ignoring her and the kids while away on a business trip. I am not for a minute going to tell you I am perfect, but this is precisely the type of issue that hurt our marriage for 18 years (in part because I am not great at handling emotional issues like this, particularly when I don't believe they are true) and went totally away during the 5 months she was OT Lo-free.

Kicker: She doesn't recognize how much differently she is processing her emotions and I have not found a way to address the issue without going through another major emotional battle that historically wouldn't have worked anyway.

Sidenote: I never wanted to get a vas. until I read an article that referenced depression as a possible side-effect of the Pill. I was willing to do anything to help change the emotional equation of our marriage because I didn't know how long I could last managing my bouts of depression in our environment.

So, probably not everyone had or will have the same effects. But please make sure you are paying attention to yourself, your level of happiness and how you handle things. FWIW.

I am 20 years old I have had an irregular period since I first got it at 12 and extremely bad problems with cramps, so my doctor prescribed Ortho Tri Cyclen .. I think its great .. I have mood swings here and there causing me to get a little more emotional then usual at times and my breasts have become a lot bigger but other than that its great

I'm thankful I found this site. I haven't experienced weight gain or acne. I have been on the pill for 2 months. But, it has made me feel extremely moody, very emotional and my contacts are blurry. I have crying fits for no reason or I get extremely upset like a flash. My family noticed a change immediately. I am switching to ortho tri cyclen lo.