Loestrin 24 Fe and ortho tri cyclen

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.

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.

Wow, I don't feel so crazy after reading everyone's comments. I was on BC for 6 years, and stopped for a year and a half. I myself started this pill 4 days ago, and already I have noticed increase anxiety, paranoia, headaches, and irritability. I called my doctor and told them to write me a prescript for what I used to take -- Ortho Tri Cyclen. For some reason I allowed my doctor to talk me into taking this crap.
Yeah.. the 'lo' dose stuff isn't always the best stuff.

I've been taking Lo24 for 3 weeks now, winding down to the last week when usually on my last B.C. Ortho Tri Cyclen 28 - I start my period. But this past 2 days, I had severe back ache (not muscle, but like joints) lingering to my legs and arms. I felt very sick to my stomach. I haven't started my period yet. I thought I was sick. But I didn't have a fever, just very bad back and body ache that literally didn't go away for 2 days straight. Luckily that was during the weekend, I did end up going to work come Today, but I still feel it slightly - very irritable and it feels draining. I will be seeing my MD tomorrow. I check in on my status, if or if not it's due to Lo24.

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.

This is my 3rd month taking Loestrin FE 24 and so far I hate it! I am 25 years old and I've been taking othro-tricyclen for about 5 years and switched to loestrin to have a lighter period. So far I have gained weight, gotten headaches, and skipped 2 periods. The first month I was on it, my period was very light, more like a brown discharge, and lasted about 8 or 9 days. Then I didn't have any periods or spotting for the next 2 months, so I've been taking pregnancy tests, which all come out negative. I have also been having headaches around the time I'm supposed to get my period. It is a terrible feeling to skip a period and think you are pregnant, and this pill makes you have that feeling 24-7! My doctor said that side effects like this are common for the first 3 months, and then they should lessen after that. I will stay on it for another month or so to see if the side effects go away, but if not then I'm definitely switching back!

I dont know why I didnt research my problem before now. I have been blaming myself for a year and a half now. I started on Loestrin 24 because I was getting the free samples from a friend that worked at a doctors office. So aside from being free my period was just like spotting for a day. It was so light. But I have had absolutely no sex drive and VERY dry when I did have sex. I have also gained about 60 lbs in the time on the pill. I have always been heavy, but could usually maintain my weight at about 195. I kept blaming myself for the weight gain even though I exercise atleast 3x a week and try to eat healthy. I gained 30 lbs on the nuva ring and lost it all when I switched to Ortho Tri Cyclen...but switched again because of the free pills. I have been really depressed and crying uncontrollably a lot especially because of the weight gain. It was causing a HUGE problem with my boyfriend and I, so I just switched to a new pill. But I think I am going back to Ortho Tri Cylen. I cant believe this is happening to everyone....I am hoping that the switch will change everything for me.

O.k. Birth control has different effects on everyone, but I know for a fact this pill has been terrible for me. I used to be on Ortho tri cyclen for 10 years, but I needed to switch since I started spotting. Loestrin 24 fe helped with that, but I gained about 13 lbs in the first month & had a horrible depression which made me hate the world. I fought with everyone and I know its from this pill because I was off all bc's for 2 months & was so happy & normal. I know it put weight on me because I work out all the time & I have weighed the same for 10 years. I started on this pill & "bang" I'm huge. I was also hungry all of the time and my left eye twitches.I have one more pill & then I am switching to a new bc. Good luck if you're on this!

I am finally off Loestrin and I do not have to take Yaz either yayyyyy!!!! The nurse called me and put me back on ortho tri cyclen that I start tonight! Loestrin was making me have sharp pains in my head, I was moody, and nervous, my heart would beat fast at times and my chest would hurt, I gained about a pound, my legs hurt and I just did not feel good and I barley had a period which made me feel worse bye bye Loestrin!!! Thank God I am starting back on ortho tri cyclen that I am used to and now I know my periods will be back on track and I will feel normal again!!!! Good luck to anyone else just wanted to update you all!!
Jennifer

It looks like I am going to be on Loestrin 24 one more month or so and
after reading everybody's experience with Yaz I have decided not to take Yaz which is what they switched me to and I was supposed to start on Sunday because I did not want to be on Loestrin 24 ,but I am going to stay on it until I go see my Doctor because I do not want to talk to a nurse by phone . I just had this feeling like I should not take the Yaz ,like something is telling me no, and I have to go with my gut feeling and not take it, I hope that they are not going to be mad at me after I called and got them to take me off Loestrin 24 and then they gave me 3 packs of Yaz, I just cannot take it after reading about all of the side effects, I just could not get peace over it so no Yaz for me, and so I still have two packs of Loestrin 24 and a RX too, but I am going to ask to be put back on ortho tri cyclen because it is what I know and my periods were regular on it. This week is supposed to be my period, and my last Loestrin pill was Tuesday and I still have not started, I am having headaches, cramps, leg aches, and I am having some nausea every now and then and this is not how I want to feel.

My periods were regular on ortho tri cyclen but the reason my doc took me off of it was because the last week (which was before my period) I was having headaches and having nausea but I would rather feel like that a week then feel the way I feel. I would go ahead and call the nurse but I am afraid she would tell me to try the Yaz because I have not even tried it yet and because she just called me on Monday and my husband picked up the Yaz on Tuesday, I just do not want to seem crazy or something, my body is just really weird about having reactions. Good luck to anyone else and I will let you all know how it goes, please be praying that this month goes well on Loestrin 24!!!! I just hope my period next month is not hell to pay cause I have not had one this month. Good night!
Jennifer

I posted on January 31 about my side effects,and today I called my Doctors nurse to change back to ortho tri cyclen.
I am only on my first pack of Loestrin 24 and next week will be my period week, and I just hate the way the make me feel, I am a lot more moody, I have gained maybe a pound, and my face broke out a little, my legs have been hurting and every now and then I have cramps but no bleeding, and I just feel blah and not like my self. Maybe for some women these work and that is ok we are all different but this is not working for me, I am going back to ortho tri cyclen that I know and will just have to put up with the pms a week before and just take something for it lol, I would rather feel that then feel this.
Good luck to anyone else.
Jennifer

Okay after reading everyone's posts, I want to cry ha ha. I have just completed my first month of Loestrin24fe- I still haven't gotten my period- tomorrow will be a week. I feel like I have the symptoms- it's just not there. I expected this to happen since my body is confused with the change, however now I am nervous that I will not get it at all this cycle and it will just skip to the next. I was previously on Ortho Tri -cyclen Lo. I was nauseous a lot, the occasional migraine, my sex drive was not great, and I had some mood swing/depression problems. I went on Lexapro for that- decided to drop it since I became nauseous with that almost an hour after I took it each time and my sex drive became even worse. Doing that I thought my symptoms would go away. I still had nausea, still no sex drive, developed weird skin patch ( dermatologist said it was eczema, but very suspicious that it all happened around same time). Since my symptoms still existed I thought it was my birth control pill. That's why I switched to Loestrin....I'm still emotional, esp near my period, but I'm a girl, I expect that. What I am worried about, and from what I have read through these posts- is that the side effects you each describe are pretty much daily side effects for me and I might not catch it as something that I should be worried about. Is it also true also that this pill makes you gain more than others? On my previous pill, I didn't gain weight and I don't plan on exercising bc of this one. I know pills affect everyone differently, and I wonder if i go on another message board for another pill I will see the same responses.....I just want to hear from someone with a positive take on this pill. Telling me that you are fine, you just have to exercise and not drink, have no sex drive and deal with not getting your period sometimes, does not make me feel better.

Also, the past two times I have drank alcohol on this pill, I became extremely nauseous the next day. Normally this would be contributed to a hangover- but I didn't drink the amount that would cause one, compared to my past drinking experiences. The nausea sometimes results in vomit, otherwise it just lasts all day. I was wondering if anyone had this happen to them while they drank on the pill.

I've been on the pill since September and I've noticed some problems with my eyes. At first I thought it was pink eye since it was only one eye, but the doctor thought it was a dry eye. It comes and goes.. usually stays in one eye for 3-4 days goes away from 3-4 days and then shows up in the other eye. Not sure if this is due to the pill, but thought it might be since I can't think of anything else that would cause my eye to dry up, become irritated and red. Please respond if you know of the pill causing anything like this.

Wow - so many of you with the same symptoms and side-effects I'm experiencing. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen years ago with minimal side effects beyond slight weight gain during the first few months. With this pill, I feel like I've become a monster. I'm bloated and I've been bleeding for 9 days now (I started the pills the day my period ended, on the advice of my doctor. I began bleeding a week later and have not stopped.). I'm normally a very happy person, but in the 2.5 weeks I've been on this medication, my moods change faster than the weather - I go from happy to despondent over the smallest, most insignificant things and cannot be cheered up. I have constant anxiety. I've cried more in the last 2 weeks than I have in the last year. I get angry over nothing, and I feel lazy all the time. My normally above-average libido is in the toilet. Fortunately, my boyfriend is incredibly understanding and knows that the changes I'm experiencing are due to this new medication changing my body chemistry.

I don't want to be like this, though. I don't want to be angry, sad, anxious, lazy, or uninterested in sex. I don't want a month-long period for 3 months while my body adjusts. I'm not in the physical condition to be able to shrug off an extra 10 pound due to bloating, and I'm tired of popping Advil to deal with my cramps. Before I found this site, I thought maybe the symptoms would go away in the next week or so, but I've now decided I'm not waiting this one out - I'm calling my doctor and finding a different alternative. This is simply unacceptable.

Also, I know it has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the medication, but their website disgusts me. "Cammie's Story"? If they spent half that advertising budget on research to eliminate the horrible side effects of their product, perhaps the pill would sell itself.

Are there any people who can report good things about this pill? I haven't started it yet, but now I am really nervous because there aren't very many positive side effects. I know everyone responds differently to BC but a little encouragement would be nice. I recently was on Ortho Tri Cyclen- Lo and didn't have a very good expierence I just hope this one will be better :)

I am 2 weeks and 3 days into taking this pill for the first month and I don't know if I should stay on it. I just started to get brownish blood/spotting and cramps in my back. I am afraid I might be pregnant although my boyfriend always pulls out on time. There is a chance that some precum got inside me, but I haven't been too worried since I don't think it's very likely to get pregnant from precum while on the pill. Should I be worried or are these symptoms normal? I also have had more frequent mood swings and anxiety, but I suffer from both anyway. From all the bad things I have heard, I am eager to switch back to Ortho-Tri Cyclen. Is there a big difference between the pills and the amount of protection they offer from getting pregnant? If any information can be given, I would really appreciate it.

I think that there are a lot of older people describing their experiences. I'm 21 and I think it is the second worst pill I have ever been on, the first being the patch. Pills obviously affect people differently, but my doctor put me on Loestrin 24 to help with my endometriosis, to make my period shorter and consequently, make my cramps less. Well, my period is only one day shorter and the cramps are worse, to say the least. Anyone with endometriosis can understand the feeling of getting your uterus ripped out slowly every month, the back hurting so much you can barely move, the hot flashes, and it just has gotten worse the last few months that I've been on Loestrin. Also, I've never been over 135 lbs in my life. I was 132 when I was put on Loestrin. I went to the doctor and was weighed in at 138 so I decided to start working out and be careful about what I eat. I was doing really well at my new little work out plan, but then weighed in at 145! To never be over 135 and suddenly be 145 is awful. Plus, my moodiness that came with another pill, has changed to severe depression for a couple days a month. I'd rather be angry than feel worthless. I've never really had problems with those things before I started taking pills but I'm definitely going back to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. That's my 'safe' pill.

This is my 2nd post to this med. I stopped taking it and a miracle happened. I am no longer depressed and have very little anxiety I also do not have anymore ocd thoughts. At first I thought I was suffering from ppd which I do have but I found out that bc pills can contribute to mood disorders. So all you ladies out there that are suffering with mood changes you might want to consider going off for a while. I feel so much better I cant even begin