Loestrin 24 Fe and hair loss

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.

I'm 25, on birth control for the first time and I am just finishing up my first month on Loestrin Fe (I was on Yaz for one month before that). I am a bit concerned that I'm set to start a new pack tomorrow and have not had a period, not even spotting. I haven't really had any of the side effects some are describing of weight gain, chest pain, or hair loss. Maybe a bit more acne than usual, but I had expected that since this is only my second month on The Pill.

However reading your experiences I'm beginning to wonder about the mood swings. I have been EXTREMELY pissed off this month, anxious, and stressed, and in general a horrible person to be around. It's like I'm 15 again going through "that stage." It's awful, and I'm quite embarrassed by my childish behavior though I can't seem to help it. I've attributed it to other factors (which, who knows?) but reading your experiences makes me wonder if this pill isn't contributing. I'm definitely going to pay attention; if this continues for another month I'm going to change to another pill. Ugh.

I'm also wondering if I'm going to get my period back? I began taking birth control to control my normally heavy bleeding and severe cramps. Not to eliminate my period entirely!

HEY..WELL HERE IS MY EXPERIENCE...I STARTED LOESTRIN 24 ALMOST 3 MONTHS AGO..I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ONE PERIOD YET...I SPOTTED THE FIRST WEEK I WAS ON IT, BUT OTHER THEN THAT IT NOTHING. I TOOK 2 PREGO TESTS BOTH SAY NEGATIVE...I AM SO MOODY, MY POOR HUSBAND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ME..THE HEADACHES ARE SO UNBEARABLE I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO MY DOCTOR ON WEDNESDAY TO BE SWITCHED AND HE ALSO WANTS TO MAKE SURE I AM NOT PREGNANT. NO HAIR LOSS FOR ME OR WEIGHT GAIN YET, BUT I GUESS ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN IF I STAY ON IT, I JUST CAN NOT STAND WONDERING IF I AM PREGNANT EVERY MONTH. I AM SO HAPPY I FOUND THIS SIGHT, I AM GOING TO ASK MY DOCTOR A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT LOESTRIN AND HOW MANY PEOPLE HE HAS HAD COME IN WITH PROBLEMS WITH THIS PILL..DOES ANYONE HAVE SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT PILL TO ACTUALLY SWITCH TO?

I have been on Loestrin 24 for 2 years!! And I am finally getting off... and so happy to find this site! I have had to be put on Topamax because my migraines became so bad, which helped my weight gain (that I attributed to my own depression that I thought was my own fault!) I didn't even realize bc could cause depression but it all makes sense! I came on here to find out if Loestrin has been the cause of my SEVERE HAIR LOSS over the past year and a half! When I started taking it, I was also going through a stressful situation and thought that was the cause, but have now realized that my life is back to normal that something else must be causing it. I tried to get my Dr. to take me off of Loestrin about a year ago due to the EXTREME nausea, dizziness, headaches and fatigue that it was causing and he decided that I should just be put on Topamax because I was just a Migraine sufferer! What a nightmare. I can't wait to switch tomorrow!!

I took loestrin 24 for two months.my doctor recommended it because im low in iron and it's supposed to give you shorter pieriods(haha).In reality I had my pierod two weeks before it was supposed to start and then again on the last week of the month.
I experienced hair loss crying and severe depression,when i no reason to be sad or depressed.I stopped taking loestrin two weeks ago. I feel almost back to normal.
I have never had such bad side effects from a birth control pill.this whole experience has really opened my eyes about taking birth control or any medicine with out really looking into the side effects first.

i am 100 lbs and i have a moderate appetite and cant gain weight im just really petite. I have been on YAZ ,Yasmin, and also Ortho Tri Cyclin lo, i have no sex drive on that so i have to stop it. i have never really gained weight on any of them but Yaz made me moody and have bad periods.. i am switching to Loestrin24 but After reading all these posts im so scared to start this pill! does anyone have similar body type or reactions that could help me out before taking this pill on Sunday?!?

EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN PERSCRIBED LOESTRIN 2 WEEKS AGO, I HAVE BEEN BLEEDING IRREGULARLY, STOMACHE PAINS, BREAST TENDERNESS, BLOADED, HAIR LOSS, ANNOYED, AND ALL I WANNA JUST STOP TAKING THEM BUT I AM AFRAID I WILL MESS UP THE REGULATION OF MY PERIOD. MY FIANCE TOLD ME THIS PILL IS INTRUDING UPON OUR LUV LIFE. HELP!!

I have been on Loestrin fe 24 for 6 months for peri-menopause symptoms. It seems to work better for that than for younger women who are used to higher hormone levels. It sounds like to me, from reading above, that the dose is too low for child bearing women, and you're getting peri-menopausal symtpoms while on this.

My hormones were already low, especially my progesterone being 48, so this medicine gave me huge relief from mood swings, insomnia, mid month periods with terrible cramping and even lifted my libido just a tiny bit. It did not stop the hair loss. I never had complexion problems and never got any with this either.

After I had been on it for 4 or 5 months, I started getting the mid month cramping again, then almost every day, felt like I was having a period. The depression came back, just like it was before I started.. So I don't know WHAT happened. It felt like it did me good for a few months, then suddenly
I felt like I did before taking it and now I have gained 15 pounds!

I dont know if this was because of having to take Rhinocort for 3 months for allergies or what, it seemed to all go bad after that. Now I don't know what to do.

But from everything I have read, it does not seem to be the pill for younger women as it lowers your hormones too much. Peri-menopausal, yes it does have it's benefits because it lifts your hormones a bit and keeps them evened out during the month instead of the roller coaster which happens during peri.

Good luck
TD.