Loestrin 24 Fe and keeping a journal

I know this is long, but I could really use your help, so I would appreciate you taking the time to read through to the end. (thanks :-) )

First, I want to thank everyone posting. I needed to read this stuff because I'm absolutely terrified of what's happening to me. I'm on the second week of my very first pack of Loestrin- my very first birth control pill EVER. I didn't want to start, but my OBGYN encouraged me to, once I told her I had 8 day long episodes of clots, cramping, vomiting and just sheer misery once a month. She said this would help if I'm sure to take it as recommended.

So I took the first one the Sunday after my period started, at 8:45am and have taken it religiously since. I have not changed my diet or routine. I exercise and eat fairly well. And there are no particularly stressful factors in my life. I am also quitting smoking- just down to 2-3 a day instead of 10 or 15.

Now that I've been doing this for 2 weeks, I think I would rather suffer what I had before. At least it was predictable! I have been bleeding for 5 days now. And this is NOT my time to be on my period. I'm sad and tired. I have back pain and on-and-off cramps. I have nearly no sex-drive. My boyfriend and I had sex at least 4 times a week and I masturbated on the nights we didn't. And although he is INCREDIBLY supportive, I can tell he feels lost and helpless around me. I don't want him to touch me, hold me, or even breathe on me! Normally, we are very affectionate and I am active and fun. Now, I just want to be left alone. I feel fat, unwanted, dirty, depressed...the list goes on.

I feel as though there is something seriously wrong with my body, because I shouldn't look or the feel the way I do or bleed like I am. I called the doctor and she said that I should give it till the end of the month. But 1 month is a long time to live with a depressed quality of life. 1 month is a long time to cry yourself to sleep with alcohol and Motrin.

I feel angry that the best the medical society can do is give us something that is trial and error, fully aware that it may hurt us, though temporarily, and make the lives of the people around us miserable. I am concerned the even my doc is in the pocket of some pharmaceutical company to give me a drug that she said would help and has only hurt.

Or maybe I'm just paranoid...

Anyone have any encouraging reasons why I should continue this? My sister, who was on Ortho for a while and DIDN'T like it, suggests that I stick out a little longer and I trust her opinion, but would like more. I'm open to suggestions or comments. (Especially if you know a way to stop my period so I spend less days of the month on it than I am on...)
Thanks :-)

I'm on day 4 of Loestrin24Fe. I've never been on birth control before. I haven't had any side effects. I've had mild headaches this week but I think that's because of being off of caffeine, not the birth control. It seems so far so good. I'm keeping a journal of everything. How much sleep I got, what time I took the pill, what I ate, how I long I worked out if I did, what I'm eating, recording any weight change, watching for bleeding or anything and even recording headaches and vivid dreams. The only two things I've noticed are that every night since the first day I took the pill I've had really vivid dreams that I've been able to remember hours after waking up. And my sex drive is increased as well. I'm a 22 year old virgin getting married in 85 days and the desire for sex has been heightened in the last 4 days - and it has nothing to do with it being the week before or week of me period because that ended a couple days ago. So, that's all I've got report so far. I'll write again down the road and update on how it's been.

Well I just started 2 days ago taking this BC and I so far have none of the symptoms most of the ladies are stating here. I will start keeping a journal to track my symptoms if they should start.
Now the 1st day of taking the pill I did have a headache but Im very sensitive to salt and didn't drink much water that day so I can not say it was the BC pills. Im excited to be on these BC pills because my periods were HORRIBLE. I just want to wait for menopause and keep my body parts. I also have cysts on both my ovaries.
I m just hoping this will work for me.