Ovral symptoms and conditions

I wanted to give you all an update to my post from Oct 23. I went to my OBGYN and gave her my complaints. She's switching me to Lo Ovral, which has a higher dosage of hormones than Loestrin. Apparently the low hormonal dosage in Loestrin is causing the excessive bleeding.

Honestly, I don't know how I feel about putting more hormones into my body...

I'm 25 yrs old. I started NuvaRing about 2 months ago. I've been on Lo Ovral for about 9 years and never had any issues other than having a hard time remembering to take my pill everyday. So I thought NuvaRing might be a better option for me. It's not!
ACNE: About a month into the ring I noticed my face began to break out. I've had occasional pimples here and there and some bacne. Well, my back is so bad I haven't worn a tank top all summer. And my face looks like I’m going through puberty.
DEPRESSION: I've been really bummed out about life lately. I have a business degree and a great job but lately I feel like I should just quit my job and live a life full of hopelessness and despair. I told my friend I feel like a troll that should hide in a dark corner. I’m normally the office cheerleader but lately I keep my door closed and my conversations short. I haven’t answered my cell phone in a month! You can’t even imagine how many unchecked voicemails I have. It’s really sad.
WEIGHT GAIN: I normally live in the gym. I run, swim, lift weights, do yoga and play sports. Now, instead of going to gym I go home upset that I'm a loser with no motivation to do anything- I eat fritos and any other carbs I can get my hands on for that matter. Then I take a nap (because eating can really wear a girl out). Wake up, eat dinner and go back to bed.
NO SEX DRIVE: The thought of having sex makes me cringe. They said you shouldn't feel it when you have sex but I sure do! And things get real crowded up in there when we're doing it. It's not pleasant and I feel like a contortionist trying to find some comfortable position. My husband gets frustrated with me and then I just get upset and then it ruins the entire mood.
Basically it took me 2 months to tie all of this to the NuvaRing. I just thought I was going through some sort of quarter-life crisis where everything was falling apart. So, I start my pills today and hopefully my life will be back in order again.

I got Mirena back in May. I felt HORRIBLE. I was tired all the time and ALL of my joints ached constantly. I could NOT lose weight. My skin was so dry and flaky. I was moody to the MAX. Also, my bad cholesterol levels shot thru the roof. Both my regular doc and the OB pooh poohed that it could be the Mirena, but got OB to take it out anyway. Went back on my good old Low Ogestrel (generic lo ovral). While in the OB office, the posters mentioned about Mirena not being a 'dual' method. Ding - light bulb went off! After leaving the doctor's office, I searched on symptoms of low estrogen. Lo and behold every symptom was tied to estrogen deficiency!
Within a week after going back on the pill I was back to 'normal' and had lost 5 pounds - with no change in diet or exercise!
(not to mention I now know exactly when to expect my period.)

I was taking YAZ for 6 months. The first few months I felt very anxious, had headaches, and no sex drive at all. Periods weren't right the first two months. The second 2 months I was still feeling very tired all the time, anxious, major headaches, numbness in arms/hands, blurred vision at times, and I was an emotional wreck, but my periods were normal. The last two months were horrible! I was having all the symptoms I wrote about above, having two week long periods, major head pressure/headaches, I noticed my hair was falling out more, and my period was lasting 2 weeks both months. I went to the Doctor, and she tested my thyroid, which came back normal. Now she is going to put me on Lo-Ovral. Hope it helps.

I was on Yasmin for 3 years, and just got off it a week ago. I tried 3 different birth control pills before Yasmin, but I cannot recommend any of them. The side effects of the first pill (three-phase pill) were more visible in a short period of time - weight gain, moodiness like crying or feeling edgy for no reason, BV, and decreased sex drive. Because it was not tolerable, after 3 months of this pill (I cannot remember the name), I switched to Min-Ovral. It was better in regards to weight and moods, but I had no sex drive. Also I had several yeast infections (following the initial episode after use of antibiotics to treat BV) after I had sex. After about 6 month of this, pill I tried Alesse but nothing changed. After 6 month of Alesse, I changed to Yasmin. The side effects include
(1) zero sex drive (affected relationship with my husband)
(2) yeast infections and bladder infections (never had either before)
(3) migraine (2-3 times a month, sometimes with nausea)
(4) anxiety (not severe)
(5) fatigue or low energy
Migraine was so bad that I was wasting my time just suffering from pain 2-3 times a month, 1-2 days each time, my husband suggested I should go off the pill. Now I've been off Yasmin for a week (2 weeks including a week between packs) and I've seen 'side effects' getting off the pill.
(1) feel like my head is going to explode - feel pressure in my head
(2) fatigue and sleepiness - can't concentrate
(3) weight gain 6 lb in a week!! while my diet or exercise did not change
(4) bloating especially on my lower stomach
I found this web site and had to post my experience, although it is still too early to tell. I think I will see a doctor if these side effects persist for a month, and will update the post here.
Thanks for reading, and I hope we will find a good solution somehow.

This is by far the worst pill I have ever taken. Before Yaz I was on Nordette, Ortho Tri cyclen and Alesse. I saw the commercials and got sucked into trying this pill. All I can say is proceed with caution. I ended up taking this pill for the unhappiness 8 months of my entire life. I had problems with other pills causing weight gain (Nordette, Ortho Tri cyclen) or acne (Alesse). However, those symptoms are mild compared to what Yaz inflicted on me.

I have always been described as happy go lucky and Yaz gave me extreme moodiness, panic attacks about my future and life, and major depression. I did have the best skin of my life and lost about 5 lbs but I was an emotional MESS! I would cry at the drop of a hat and find fault in everyone and everything. This symptom didn't start right away but each month I was on Yaz got worse. My friends coined my "alter ego" "she devil." I almost felt possessed at times on this pill. I finally realized it was the pill and not life causing these problems when 3 of my girlfriends had the same problems and got off and the problems went away.

Prior to having this experience I thought people tried to blame too much on the pill but my experience showed me just how much these can mess with your body. I switched back to Alesse 5 days ago and it's like I am a different person--even my skeptical boyfriend noticed the change. As for the acne, I am going to go to a dermatologist to address that. I will be happy to have a few zits as opposed to being a crazy woman.

Proceed with caution on this pill and watch your moods carefully. Just because you've been on it for a few months doesn't mean you're safe. The majority of my emotional disorder started about 5 months in. I do have some girlfriends that like this but most have found it to bring out "she devil".