I'm writing in behalf of my 15 year old daughter who is trying lo...

Hi there. I'm 18 and have been taking Loestrin for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I started Loestrin about a year and a half ago. At first the headaches were terrible and I vomited at least a few times a week. I also had a lot of breakthrough bleeding. Over time, however, the symptoms definitely improved to the point where I was hardly having any noticeable side effects.

Part of my initial problem was that I had not been taking it every day, because it made me so nauseous. However, with birth control, it's really important to take it every day (even if one isn't sexually active), simply because you're taking it to regulate your hormones and any missed dose can throw them off.

There's a good chance your daughter's symptoms will improve if she continues taking the medication daily and at the same time every day (I found taking it at night helped me sleep through some of the side effects, but that might have been placebo...hey, that's not a bad idea-maybe if you told her taking it at a different time of day is supposed to lessen the side effects, her brain would trick her body into...I'm babbling).

That said, as a teenager, I know that one day, one week even, can have a detrimental effect on one's school performance, so if she's not doing better with in the next three weeks, it might be time to try something else. I've found the best time to play around with medication is over the summer when it won't affect performance in school.

You sound like a wonderful mother, so just make sure your daughter knows she has your unconditional support. Adjusting to medications is really hard, particularly during adolescence.

I hope I helped some, but I have a feeling I only babbled. Best wishes!
hugs,
Jill

Please read my posting tonight.....I hope it helps :)

Thanks Jill, I haven't been on this site in awhile. My daughter couldn't handle the loestrin and stopped. We decided to see a neurologist and my daughter is now taking 3 preventative migraine medications which are mostly working except for her time of month and if there is a storm front with pressure changes. I recently spoke to another mom with a daughter who has migraines and she started her daughter on the pill for having a cycle 4 times a year. If anyone has experience with that or the once a year period, I'd like to hear their thoughts- especially in reference to migraine management. We might try that one this summer since it is so hard to manage changes during the school year. I appreciated your "babbling" and your sentiments in general. Best to you. Jan